Final Fantasy: Chaos Version II
by OtisSux
Summary: Final Fantasy I novelization, Second Draft. Constructive criticism apprecited. Rated for Violence and Language. [Discontinued]
1. Prologue: Darkness Advent

**Final Fantasy: Chaos  
**Version 2

**Prologue: Darkness Advent**

There was something wrong, very wrong. You didn't have to be one of those prophets from Crescent Lake to know that. All one had to do was look around and you could see it. You could see it in the way the normally regal looking flags of the castle now hung like corpses from the spires, not even a breeze stirring the air in several hours. You could hear it too, or rather, you couldn't hear it, as the air was as quiet as it was still, which was disturbing as there was a rather large forest only 500 meters away. It was as if everything was dead. Even time seemed to stand still, the new moon making it almost impossible to tell how much time had passed from one moment to the next.

Wedge nervously looked around for what seemed like the hundredth time, almost wishing for something to happen, just to break the tension that now permeated everything. He shuddered as he gazed at the stone towers of the castle. In the weak torchlight, they seemed much duller then usual, making them look more like claws of some hideous demon then the pillars of strength that they normally represented.

Shuddering once more at the strange mental image, the guard once more took up his rounds of the courtyard.

A few moments later, he ran into another guard, a friend of his. They stopped as they approached each other, both taking a final look around to both make sure there was no threats about, nor any officers to catch them slacking.

"Creepy night," Wedge said to the other man.

"You can say that again," replied to other man, hacking briefly then spitting out a wad of dislodged phlegm. "Haven't seen a night like this ever."

Just as he finished, a chorus of howls emanated from the forest nearby. The discordant sound made the hair on the back of their necks stand on end, not only from the strange tone, but because it was the first noise either of them had heard all night.

"Definitely creepy," the other guard said.

"Seriously though, Biggs. I've got a really bad feeling about this night."

"Damn it, Wedge! You've always got a bad feelin' 'bout somethin' or another," the larger man said. He paused for a moment. "Just the same though, I'm gonna keep a good look out for anythin' outta the ordinary t'night."

Wedge simply nodded his agreement, taking a look around again out of reflex, or perhaps paranoia. "We'd better get back to work. We'll be in deep trouble if we get caught slacking on a night like this."

"Aye," Biggs agreed, stepping past his thinner friend to resume his rounds.

The eerie howls from the woods continued for well into the hour. Wedge noticed that the other guards were starting to get on edge as well, glancing about in a panicked manner at every furtive movement, ones that seemed to be increasing. Sometime after, someone shouted out at one of these movements, demanding to know who goes there. He received no reply however.

It was only minutes after Biggs had again crossed paths with Wedge that a loud noise followed by the shrill sound of the castle alarm broke the silence, causing many of the guards on patrol to jump in spite of themselves. The men quickly reported to their posts, waiting for instructions. Biggs looked at Wedge with a worried look on his face as they stepped into line beside each other. A high ranking lieutenant soon made his way from deeper within the castle. The night watchmen all saluted as he neared, the officer giving a quick salute in response.

"Alright men, we don't know exactly what the problem is yet, but we're certain that we're being attacked from within. The Royal Guard is currently handling the situation so it should be solved quickly. As you all know, in the unlikely situation that the Royal Guard fails to solve the problem, we are to ensure that the attacker doesn't leave the castle grounds," the lieutenant addressed them.

The men shuffled nervously as more loud noises, most likely explosions, and shouts continued to come from inside. The noise ended abruptly after a final explosion and it seemed as though things had been solved. Moments later, heavy footsteps resounded from the passageway leading to the castle proper. The men tensed.

They all visibly relaxed when they recognized the figure that emerged from the darkness of the passageway. The lieutenant stepped forward and addressed the figure, a knight standing an imposing seven feet tall wearing dark armor.

"General Garland, has the situation been handled, sir?" the officer asked.

Garland gave no reply, but simply tilted his helmeted head to the side slightly like a curious or confused animal might.

"General Garland?" the lieutenant said again. He then noticed that there was something terribly wrong. An unsightly amount of blood and gore dripped from the tip of the knight's massive blade, more so then a single being could have supplied. The horrified officer's eyes then traveled up to the general's face, seeking some sort of answer. It was then he noticed the motionless shape slung over his shoulder. With horror, he realized what the shape was.

"Princess Sara? Are you-," the officer began. He was cut off as he was cleaved nearly in half by the still bloody sword of Garland.

The gathered troops gasped and sprung into action as Garland strode toward them. The two friends, Biggs and Wedge, were two of the first to attack. They worked well together as their sizes complimented each other, Biggs being the shorter, and more powerful of the two where Wedge was thinner and much more agile. It mattered little though as Garland cast them both aside with a single swipe of his massive sword, luckily for them he had struck with the flat side of the blade.

The other guards' attacks proved to be no more effective, many being injured beyond the ability to fight and some losing their lives. When they finally seemed to be mounting a decent defense, Garland suddenly unleashed a powerful magic spell that severely injured those closest to him and knocking back the rest.

Pausing to survey the damage he had done to the guards, Garland deemed them no longer a threat and made for the castle gates that would lead him to the city and ultimately, out of Coneria altogether.

Biggs was helping Wedge to his feet as a distinguished, middle-aged man emerged from within the castle, his sword drawn and ready for battle. A small regiment of the Royal Guard followed close behind him. Looking over the human wreckage sprawled out before him, he turned behind him to issue a few quick orders before striding up to the two friends, who had been among the first to their feet.

"Report, gentlemen," the older man said to them.

Both men saluted before speaking.

"General Cid," Wedge began. "We tried to stop him, sir. He caught us off guard and was simply too powerful. He has Princess Sara!"

"We failed, sir!" Biggs said, to ashamed to even look his superior in the face.

"You did what you could. Garland was our best soldier, there was no way any of you could have beat him." Biggs looked up at him, grateful to have been forgiven. "Gentlemen, we're in a tough position right now. Garland decimated the majority of the Royal Guard that was on duty and many of the guards as well. I'm going to take what's left of the Royal Guard and some capable soldiers and we're going after the Princess. I'm going to need some reliable men to take care of things while I'm gone and you two will do fine. Welcome to the High Guard, lieutenants. First thing I want you to do is get everyone who's injured to the infirmary, then I want you to seal off the castle and city behind us and try to organize the rest of the men into some sort of guard. The city will be under martial law until this is cleared up. There's no way of knowing if Garland was alone in this plot. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" they both said at once.

"Then get to it and don't make me regret my decision."

The two men saluted once more and began to execute their orders. Cid looked around the courtyard once more, running though the events that just took place through his head once more and sighed.

_It's going to be a long night_, he thought as he motioned for his men to gather around.

Garland, having just dispatched the gate guards, was making his way out of the city and towards a barely visible structure off in the distance; The Temple of Fiends. A large group of monsters had assembled about 100 meters away from the walls. As the large knight neared, they backed away in fear, clearing a path. All eyes were on the knight as he slowly walked on, his blood red cape flowing behind him despite the lack of air movement. A single warg began to howl, soon being joined by the others. It was an omen of things to come. . . .

X X X X

In another part of the world, a young woman convulsed in her sleep, her eyelids twitching spastically as her eyes rolled to the back of her skull. She woke suddenly with a scream, several images burned into her memory, most of them so unpleasant, no mortal should ever be cursed with their sight. Sitting up in her bed, alone, she cried in the darkness, frightened of what she saw in what she knew was not a dream, but a vision of the future. . . .

X X X X


	2. Chapter One: Old Friends and New

**Chapter One: Old Friends and New**

The next morning, a young black magician cursed to himself as he stood in line, waiting to get in to the city. He glared again at the back of a bitchy old merchant who was ahead of him, taking forever to have all his things checked, arguing with the guards over every item he was and wasn't allowed to take into the city.

_I swear if he keeps this up for much longer, I'm going to belt him over the head with my staff_, he thought to himself as he glared. He had no idea what was behind this sudden filtering of people inward and outward bound of the city. He'd only heard rumors from those leaving that something serious had happened at the castle last night. At first he thought it might have something to do with the strange attack on the bridge that led to Provoka, but that had been several days ago from what he'd heard and the main reason why he even bothered to stop at Coneria in the first place.

He turned around out of boredom to find the guy behind him staring at him. The mage frowned.

"What the Hell are you looking at?" he demanded in an angry tone.

"N-nothing," the man said, shrinking back from him.

Annoyed, the mage turned back around and once again considered bashing the old man over the head with his staff. Just as he was amusing himself over the details of explaining it to the guards, the merchant was admitted into the city.

"Finally," said the mage aloud, walking up to the desk the solider was sitting at and practically shoving the old man out of the way.

"Sorry for the delay," the soldier said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just get on with it."

"Right, name?"

"Thollatos Zescalland."

"Birthplace?"

"Crescent Lake."

"Reason for coming to Coneria?"

"Work."

"How long do you plan on staying?"

"Depends on if I find work."

"Do you have any friends or relatives living in the city?"

"No."

"What will you be bringing into the city?"

"My staff, some traveling supplies, medicine, and some gil."

"Do you plan on making any major purchases while in the city?"

"Most likely not," Thol began. Irritated, he asked, "Are we just about done? My patience is running thin."

"Almost. Can you open up your bag so that I can verify its contents, please?"

Thol wordlessly complied. The soldier glanced inside, moving a few things about, then jotted a few notes on the parchment he was writing on. "You may close it now." Again, he did so without comment.

The soldier looked up from the parchment now and gave the mage a good look over, noting on his pad his appearance. He stood about six foot tall, seemingly of a thin build, though it was hard to tell with the faded, travel worn robes he wore that may have been dark blue at one point, but was now merely grey and stained. His face was shrouded in darkness due to the hood he wore, the only distinguishable feature his eyes, which glowed a mysterious silver color as he regarded the soldier in front of him. The sack he carried was slung over his shoulder carelessly, his fingerless gloved hands clasped around the staff he carried, one overtop of the other. Adorning the fingers on his right hand were several expensive looking rings that also glowed with their own color, no doubt enhancing his magical powers. Around his neck hung an ornate pendant, just as powerful as the rings the soldier had guessed. He briefly considered asking the mage to take off his hood so that he may see his face, but he thought it wise not to anger the obviously irate man further.

"Alright, you may enter the city. Please try to stay out of any trouble and refrain from using any magic or edged weapons during your stay. If you have any problems, please see one of the city guards. Enjoy your stay in the Dream City."

Thol snorted at the words 'Dream City', knowing that despite it being the capital, Coneria was a backwater city populated by mostly farmers and small time merchants of little notoriety, making the merchandise available the worst on the planet.

As he entered the gates, he noticed another line headed by a similar desk like the one he was just at leading out of the city. He groaned inwardly as he realized that he'd have to go through all that again when he left. Shaking his head in annoyance, he made his way to the nearest pub, intent on finding out if the city had any work for one such as himself.

As he stepped through the doors, all conversation stopped for a moment. Thol didn't bother to pause with them, used to getting such a reaction from the people of Coneria. It wasn't often they saw a mage in their city, let alone one as imposing as Thol, who seemed to carry with him an aura promising trouble if angered, which he was well on his way to being. People made room for him to pass as he purposefully strode up to the bar to stare down the barkeep.

"What can I get ya?" the man said after a moment, to his credit, not stuttering like most people did when under his intense gaze. Thol guessed the bartender was used to getting all kinds of people.

"I'm looking for work. I heard you might know of some available to someone of my talents," Thol said, knowing that barkeeps generally know most of what went on in a town.

"Ya've come at a good time, stranger. There was a ruckus up at the castle last night and it seems to have set the military back a few men. There's been rumor of some sorta special patrol leaving the castle soon after the commotion. Ya might want to head over to the castle and see what's goin' on."

Thol nodded his thanks. "Do you have food here?"

"Yes, sir. Finest in the city!"

"I'm sure," Thol said with mild sarcasm. "How much for a light meal?"

"15 gil."

Thol tossed the appropriate number of coins on the counter and went to sit down at an unoccupied table to await his meal. As he waited, he glanced around the room, noting that most people who had the gall to be looking in his direction quickly looked away when his gaze fell on them. _Typical_, he thought, shaking his head.

His meal arrived soon after and he waited only long enough for the waitress to leave before digging in ravenously. After a few mouthfuls, he was forced to concede that the barkeeps overzealous claim may in fact be true. _Either that or it's because I haven't had a real meal in weeks_.

As he neared the end of his meal, a new customer entered the pub. Thol could tell by the man's gait that he was either extremely large or clad in armor. Not particularly keen to find out, he didn't bother to look. Similar to what he had done, the new arrival made directly for the bar.

"What can I get ya?" Thol heard the barkeep ask, exactly the same as he had done with him.

"I need information. I've been told you're the man to see," a deep but weary voice said. Thol paused in the middle of a bit to look up at the man, the voice far too familiar to be ignored. He laughed lightly to himself, thinking it odd to run into him here. Quickly finishing off his meal, he stood and made his way back to the bar.

"I may be able to help ya. What're ya looking to find?"

"Bikke," was the man's only reply. The entire pub went silent, causing the man to look around, missing Thol where he continued to move toward them.

"Captain Bikke, the pirate. Why'd ya wanna find him, stranger? That old dog is nothing but trouble," the barkeep said in low tones.

"He killed my brother. He must be brought to justice," the man replied with a steely determination.

"Sorry, stranger. No one's seen hide nor hair of Bikke for over six months now. It's like he's disappeared. Some have heard rumors that his cursed ship went down in a storm around Elfland."

The man sighed. "Thank you for your help, kind sir." He was just about to turn away from the bar and leave when Thol stepped up to him.

"Still looking, eh Tor?"

A rare smile broke out on the man's face. "Thol. It's been awhile. Yes, I'm still looking. I've found nothing. It's like the barkeep said. It's almost as if he disappeared after sacking Provoka."

Thol nodded, taking in the changes Tor had gone through since he'd last seen him a little less then a year ago. He still stood a full two inches taller then himself, though it didn't show as he was slumped over, be it from exhaustion or defeat, he didn't know. His reddish brown hair was unkempt and not neatly trimmed like he usually had it, same went for the beard on his face, the reddish hairs a blatant sign he had been on the road for some time. His usually strong face was slacken, dark circles under his brown eyes a testament that he slept rarely and never very well. He still wore the same armored vest with the same broad sword slung over his back, the sword being the main reason he was of muscular build. Thol knew first hand how heavy that sword was. He had attempted to move it once when they were on a job together and he practically had to drag it just to move it.

"What are you going to do next?" Thol asked him after a moment.

Tor sighed again. "I don't know. I've been everywhere. There's nowhere left to check."

Thol patted the other man sympathetically on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Tor. You'll get him one day."

Tor nodded, his head hung in contemplation. After a moment, he shook himself and stood up straighter. "And how about you? What brings you to Coneria, Thol?"

"The usual. Work. Not much work for an independent mage these days. I've been living off scraps for quite a while now."

Tor nodded. "Aye. As have I. I've got less then a hundred gil on me at the moment. Not much to work with."

It was Thol's turn to nod. "I'm going to go to the castle to see what all the commotion was last night. You could come with me. If there's any work for me, I'd feel better with your sword to back me up."

Tor thought about it for a moment and again nodded. "I think I will join you. I'd also like to find out what happened. I've got nothing better to do now that I'm out of leads, and besides, we could pool our resources."

"Indeed. We should head over to the inn and get a room before we do anything."

Tor nodded his agreement and they both set out to the inn. When they arrived, Thol paid for the room, then they stood off a ways to discuss the next step.

"Okay, I'm running a little low on supplies, so I'm going to head over to the shop and stock up. Do you need anything?" Thol said.

"I'm going to head over to the blacksmith's and get my bracer repaired. One of the buckles let go on me in my last scuffle."

"Alright. We'll meet back here in the lounge when we're done. If you get back before me, see if you can find anything out about what happened. I'll do the same."

"Right," Tor replied. They both exited the inn, intending to go separate ways when they ran into a trio of men, all of them looking rather unsavory.

"Watch where you're going, jackass," Thol said in irritation, pushing back two of them with his staff.

"You foreigners have no respect. Someone should teach you some manners," the man in the middle said, apparently the leader of the group.

"Hey, guys. Just let it go alright. We don't want any trouble," Tor said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"No one calls me that and gets away with it," the lead man said again, pulling a crude looking knife out from his belt and pointing it toward Thol. He yelped in sudden pain, Thol knocking the knife from his hand as quickly as it had been drawn.

"Care to try that again?" Thol asked in a dangerous tone.

"Hmph... You'll regret this. I promise you. Come on boys," said the man, bending down to retrieve his knife before striding away from them.

"Morons," Thol said, letting the butt of the staff touch the ground again.

Tor gave a quick laugh. "Still as irritable as ever I see. You know, Thol, one day you're going to get in a heap of trouble over your temper."

"We'll see about that. I'll meet you later," the mage replied, striding away from the inn in the direction of the general store.

"Be careful on your way. Those guys could come back."

Thol replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. He made it to the store without any difficulties and then remembering that he was running low on potions, he decided to make a quick stop at the clinic. On the way there, he noticed that there were constructing a new building. Thol took a close look at the structure and decided it was going to be a library. He then caught a glimpse of the largest man he'd ever seen working on the compound. Thol guessed that he was roughly seven foot tall and was a walking pile of muscle, easily able to life a giant support beam by himself. It was hard to make out details from a distance, but he appeared to be clad in a tank top and baggy pants, his light brown hair held back by a bandana.

Observing the construction site as he was, he wasn't watching where he was going as he rounded the corner and for the second time in an hour ran into someone, this time knocking them right over and dropping his staff in the process.

"Damn it! Does anyone in this hovel watch where they're walking?" Thol grunted in annoyance.

A small bottle rolled to a stop at his feet. Looking down at the person he just ran into, he was rather surprised to see a girl about his own age sprawled out of the ground trying to gather all the bottles that were rolling around. Miraculously, none had been broken. Thol gave himself a mental slap and bent over to help her.

"Sorry," he told her, helping her finish gathering them before picking up his staff.

"No, it was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going," replied the girl.

"Neither was I," Thol said, both of them standing.

The first thing Thol noticed about the girl was how incredibly beautiful she was. He almost dropped his staff again at the sight of her. When he got over his initial shock, he began to take in other details. She was notably shorter then him, by maybe half a foot or more. Her hair was red, like Tor's, except it was pure red and by the looks of it, much longer, the hood she was wearing obscuring most of it. The rest of her was hidden behind the cloak she wore to fend off the morning chill, though by her posture, he could guess about a few things. By the looks of it, she was an amateur white magician.

"You're a mage," Thol said, more of a statement then a question.

"As are you," the girl replied with an impish smile that made her look even more beautiful.

"So I am," Thol said with a slight chuckle, finding it hard to take his silvery eyes off the girl's sea green ones.

"Well, I hate to be rude, but I really must be on my way. I've got much work to do."

"It's no bother. I myself have things to do," Thol replied with another dismissive wave of the hand. "It was nice to meet you."

The girl nodded. "Farewell," she said, stepping around him.

Thol turned to watch her walk away as she passed. _I guess there's something good about this hole after all_, he thought as she rounded a corner out of his sight. Turning back the way he was going, he continued on to the clinic. . . .

X X X X

Thol returned to the inn to find that Tor had already arrived. He was sitting in the lounge listening to a local band playing some soft music while drinking a cup of what was most likely ale. Thol paused long enough to get a cup of water from the barkeep before walking over and sitting with his friend.

"I see you got your bracer fixed," Thol commented, noting the armored plate on his arm where there was none before.

"Indeed. I haven't been able to find out anything more about the commotion at the castle though. Seems like they're keeping it a secret up there."

Thol was about to reply when he was interrupted by a voice from the adjacent table.

"You wanna know what's been happening up at the castle?" asked an oily voice.

Thol glanced over at the owner of the voice and frowned. The man looked to be of average height, though it was hard to tell from his sitting position. He had a sly grin on his face that was obviously fake, immediately making Thol distrust the man. His dark grey eyes were shadowed slightly by the tilt of his head, his dark colored hair, which appeared to be of an odd bluish color, was slicked back and neatly kept, aside from the stray hair or two that fell upon his brow. He was clad in a matching peasant brown shirt and pants with a black vest and belt which housed a pair of daggers and no doubt many other objects of unsavory origin. On his hands were fingerless black gloves almost identical to those Thol wore. Right now they were clasped around a cup of ale like that of Tor's. Thol took an immediate disliking to the man, the mischievous glint in his eyes not helping matters.

"Do you know?" Tor asked before Thol could get a word in.

"Indeed I do," the man said, getting up to sit at their table. "It seems as though someone from inside the castle kidnapped one of the princesses at about midnight, decimating the guards and taking her right out of the city."

"And how did you manage to find this out?" Thol asked, somehow already knowing the answer.

The man grinned even wider. "I slipped by the guards at the castle and did some strategic eavesdropping."

"And how did you manage that?" Thol questioned further, not sure if he really wanted to know.

His reply was to touch his finger to the side of his nose and say, "Trade secret."

"Un huh," Thol commented sarcastically. He turned to Tor and asked, "Well, what do you think? Should we check it out?"

"It couldn't hurt. I've noticed that the guards that patrol the city seem to be a little thin. Maybe the king would welcome our aid."

"Take me with you," the blue haired man said suddenly.

Thol looked at him again. "Why should we?"

"I did supply you with the information. Besides, I'm a little strapped for cash at the moment. I figure there'll be a pretty decent reward for rescuing the princess."

"Ha. Honest work for someone like you? That's a first," Thol commented.

The grin fell from the man's face. "What are you implying?"

"Come on, admit it. It's blatantly obvious that you're a thief. I'm surprised the guards haven't beaten you down and arrested you yet."

"Hey, hey. That's a little harsh, isn't it? I'd prefer to think of myself as an opportunistic entrepreneur."

"Right, and imps fly."

"It wouldn't hurt to take him along, Thol. I'm sure he's no stranger to battle and we may need the help when the time comes," Tor said.

"I suppose so," Thol agreed. He looked to the blue haired man. "Okay, you're in, but don't even think about taking anything or I'll hunt you down myself."

The grin returned to his face. "No problem, boss. Keza Kran, at your service," he said, extending a hand.

Thol ignored it. "Thollatos Zescalland. You may call me Thol."

"Tor Zakon," the armored man said, shaking the hand offered to him.

"If we're going to the castle, we'd better go soon. There's no telling what could happen if we wait," Thol suggested.

"Good idea," Keza said, gathering his things from the other table where he had left them.

Tor downed the rest of his ale and stood to follow Thol who had already begun making his way to the exit, Keza right behind them. As they stepped out of the inn and made their way to the main street a troop of bloodied and battered troops entered the town, headed for the castle. At the head of the column was a middle aged man who was walking with a limp, obviously from the rather severe leg wound he sported. Nonetheless, he still walked proudly.

"That's General Cid, commander of the Royal Guard. I overheard that he was heading up a team to rescue the princess. Judging from the state of his men, they failed," Keza commented as they watched them pass.

Thol nodded and heard one of the soldiers mutter the words 'Temple of Fiends' as he passed as well as the name 'Garland' several times.. He frowned. Even at the best of times, the temple had a reputation of being a dangerous and haunted place and if he wasn't mistaken, Garland was the General of the Conerian Military.

"Garland, eh?" Keza said, apparently also hearing the name. "When I was at the castle, I heard the soldiers mention his name a few times, almost fearfully."

"Perhaps it was this Garland who has kidnapped the princess," Tor offered. "You did say that it was someone from the inside after all."

Keza nodded. "I'd definitely bet on that."

"And he's taken her to the Temple of Fiends. Not good," Thol said.

"With the bridge to Provoka taken out, there's no where else he could have taken her," Tor added.

"We'll take a more round about way to the castle," Thol said after a moment of thought. "They might be a bit suspicious if we walk in right behind them."

The other two nodded, then they turned to take the same route Thol had taken earlier to get to the general store. Unlike last time, there was a large group of men waiting for them as they entered into a secondary street. Thol groaned inwardly as he recognized the man at the front of the group to be the thug he ran into earlier.

"You again," Tor said as they stopped before the gang.

"Yes, me. I told you you'd regret disrespecting me. Now it's time you pay for it," said the man. He raised his arms and motioned to his men. "Get 'em, boys!"

All Hell broke loose at that moment as the whole gang of about fifteen of them surged forward. The three of them were hard pressed to keep them all back, most of the thugs having weapons, some with knives. Thol was faring the best as he had his staff to defend himself with whereas the other two were forced to rely solely on their fists. Things began to look bad when Tor went down, out cold after being hit in the back of the head with a pipe.

"The Hell with this," Thol yelled, pushing them back with his staff and readying a spell.

"No, Thol! You'll get arrested!" Keza yelled, taking a shot to the gut for his effort.

"Damn it!" Thol yelled, readying his staff again.

A large wooden beam that looked familiar suddenly crashed down on several of the thugs, coming from the general direction of the construction site. The fight paused for a moment as the large man Thol had seen earlier walked up to them. Up close, Thol could make out more details about the man. He was indeed almost seven feet tall and was even more muscular then Tor. His medium length hair was still wrapped up in a bandana, his black eyes shining with wisdom beyond his years. Around his waist was a simple cloth belt and his hands were wrapped up in simple white cloth.

The man walked up to the leader of the group, who had just stumbled back to his feet, only taking a glancing blow from the wooden beam. There was a disapproving frown on the man's face, making him look more menacing then Thol could manage in his worst moments.

"Gash. You and your gang of miscreants are starting to become a serious problem. Now you're attacking visitors to the city in broad day light. I'll ask you only once to disperse or I'll personally take you to the guardsmen," the large man said in a stern tone.

"Ha! What makes you an authority here? You're not even from this town," the leader, Gash, replied.

The large man's frown deepened. "You're incorrect as always. I may not have grown up here, but I was, in fact, born here. Now leave these people alone."

"Like Hell! Get him!" Gash yelled to his cronies.

The large man shook his head ever so slightly and dropped into a battle stance.

Thol was again surrounded by the thugs, so he wasn't able to fully catch what happened next, though from the sounds of it, the thugs were in for a rough time.

Thol and Keza grouped around the fallen form of Tor, who was bleeding quite seriously from the blow he took on the head. The large man from the construction site soon joined them and working together, they soon subdued the thugs until there were only four remaining, Gash being one of them.

"Had enough?" Thol asked.

"Hardly, you freak!" the man said, rushing forward to attack once more.

Thol expertly batted the club aside with his staff and wrapped the man on the skull, causing him to fall. Thol thrust the head of his staff against the fallen mans throat and glared down at him.

"Say that again and you'll be sorry," he said, angered by the comment.

It was then the city guard arrived. The large man walked up to the sergeant and explained the situation as the rest of the men rounded up the thugs. The soldier nodded and the man returned to where Keza was examining the wound on Tor's head and spoke to Thol.

"I've explained everything to the guards. You won't be held accountable. Gash and his thugs have always caused trouble, though usually not like this."

"Thank you," Thol said. "You fight well. I've never seen someone as large as you move so fluidly."

"Nor have I ever seen a mage fight so well with his weapon. Not to be rude, but most of you seem to be rather inept at physical combat."

"Indeed we are, but I've been on my own for a while, so you learn fast," Thol said. He extended his hand. "Thollatos Zescalland. Thol for short."

"Goro Ronin," the big man said, shaking his hand. He glanced down at the other two. "Your friend looks like he needs medical attention. I'll carry him to the clinic, you see if the little one needs aid."

Thol nodded and helped Keza up. He had taken a rather nasty shot to the leg with a pipe that would no doubt leave an ugly bruise. He then watched as Goro hoisted Tor up as if he weighed nothing at all and started to head to the clinic.

_Amazing_, he thought to himself, practically dragging Keza along. _I'll give him credit_, now thinking of the man he was helping walk._ He was winded pretty good, but didn't let it show until I helped him up. He's a lot heavier then he looks, probably from all the things he's stolen._ Thol frowned suddenly. _I'd better check my pockets when I get him there._

When they arrived at the clinic, the elderly woman who Thol remembered from earlier gasped at the sight of them and rushed forward to direct Tor and Keza to the beds in the adjacent room. Goro gently set Tor, his head still bleeding slightly, down on one bed and Thol eased Keza into the one next to it, immediately checking his pockets and his pack for anything missing as he walked away.

"You don't trust me," Keza gasped out accusingly.

Thol just shot him a look in response.

Another person rushed into the room, no doubt drawn by the commotion created when they arrived. Thol was still busy looking through his things and didn't bother to look up at the person.

"Karel! Oh my! What happened?" said a feminine voice.

Thol whipped his head up at the sound of the voice and to his surprise, its owner was the same girl he had run into earlier. _Makes sense. Every clinic needs a white mage_, he thought. Now that he could see her without the cloak she wore earlier, he could see that her hair was, in fact, quite long, reaching down to the middle of her back. She wore a matching blouse and pants that were white with red trim, more proof that she was a white mage. As she rushed forward to examine Tor's head wound, Thol noticed that despite their apparent looseness, her clothes seemed almost to cling to her, showing off her shapely figure. Thol found himself blushing and for once thanked the fact that his face was hidden, berating himself for acting like a downy cheeked teenager.

"Gash and his thugs decided they'd cause some more trouble," Goro replied to the girl's earlier question. "The guards arrested them this time."

"Good. Hopefully this time they'll learn," the girl said with an approving nod. She turned to the Karel, the elderly lady. "Karel, could you start cleaning up his wound? I'd like to check the others."

"Of course, dear."

The girl smiled lightly and faced Goro. "You're bleeding," she said, noticing the knife wound he received to the shoulder.

"It is of no moment. Please, help the others first. The little one over there is in need of more help then I."

"Would you stop calling me that?" Keza moaned from where he was lying on the bed.

She moved to him and asked him where he was hurt. She carefully listened as he rambled off all his ails, then examined some of the areas, prompting Keza to grunt at times. She then waved her hands over his injuries producing a soft green light in their wake. Thol had seen enough white magic in his time to recognize it, but he was impressed by the power of the girls spell. Keza breathed in deeply and sat up, apparently free of whatever aches had plagued him.

"Thank you," the thief said, genuinely.

The girl nodded then moved toward Thol. For his part he just stood there and watched as the girl stopped suddenly, recognizing him. Her smile returned as she closed the rest of the distance between them.

"So we meet again," she said.

"Indeed we do, lady," Thol replied with a small, respectful bow. "Your magic is quite potent. I don't think I've seen magic quite as effective as yours."

She made a face suddenly. "Thank you, but my magic is limited only to a few simple spells. I can only learn so much here. I'd like to learn more someday though."

"You'll make a fine healer in time, I'm sure."

She smiled and looked up at him from where she had been staring at the floor, lost in her thoughts. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I managed to make it through without a scratch."

The girl seemed to notice something then, her smile replaced with a look of curiosity. She noticed that despite the illumination of the room, his face was still shrouded in almost total darkness, impossible for just the hood alone to accomplish. She reached up with her hand. "Why is your-," she began, but Thol was quicker.

He jerked back suddenly, grasping her hand in his own quite sharply. She let out a cry, more of surprise then pain, causing the others in the room, other then Tor who was still unconscious, to look over at them.

"Don't ever touch my face!" he yelled, suddenly angry.

"But I-," the girl began.

"_Ever_!" he shouted again, dropping her hand.

She took a step back, a hurt look on her face. "I just wanted to help," she said quietly.

"I don't need your help or your pity," he said, a lot quieter then before, perhaps realizing how ridiculous it was to yell at her. He winced as he noticed she was rubbing the hand he had grabbed suddenly. She looked as if she were about to say something, but he purposefully turned away from her, effectively dismissing her.

"I guess I was wrong about you. You're a horrible person," she said, suddenly angry at him. She then stormed away from him towards Tor so she could heal him.

Thol looked over to the others when she had gone. Goro stood with a slight frown of disapproval on his face and Keza was simply staring at him, confounded. The old lady was busy tending to Tor still, obviously trying to avoid the conflict by pretending it wasn't even there. He snorted in disgust suddenly and made his way out of the room. Just as he passed the threshold, he paused, turning his head back to the room.

"Who are you all to judge me? You don't even know me, or what I've been through," he said in a quiet voice. They all stopped to look at him, waiting for him to say more, but instead he just left, exiting the clinic with a slam of the door.

There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted several minutes, Goro and Keza merely looking about the room, at a loss as to what to say, while the two ladies busied themselves with Tor's injuries. Finished what they were doing, the red haired girl cast a healing spell to repair the majority of the damage done. That done, she turned to face Keza as if awaiting an explanation.

Shrugging, the young man cleared his throat and began. "Well I guess introductions are in order. My name is Keza Kran. The one lying on the bed unconscious is called Tor and the charming young fellow who so recently stormed out of here is Thol. It seems you already know the large, hulking man standing over there, but as to his name, I'm afraid I've not heard it."

"My apologies," he said. "It is Goro. Goro Ronin."

"A pleasure," Keza said, doing his best to bow from his sitting position. He turned to the red haired girl then. "And what shall I call this vision of loveliness who was kind enough to cure my ills?"

The girl blushed slightly at his words. "Melira Fedal. My father and I run this clinic, though he's at the castle right now after what happened there last night."

"Ah yes. The kidnapping of the princess," Keza remarked offhandedly.

Melira's eyes widened at his proclamation. "How is it you know of that? The guards said they were keeping that a secret!"

"Oops," Keza muttered to himself, a slightly ashamed grin coming to his face. "Well to be honest, I kind of snuck into the castle this morning and accidentally overheard some of the officers talking about it."

Goro raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing of it. "I'm curious, your friend, Thol I believe, what exactly was that outburst all about?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask our slumbering friend over there about that," he replied, motioning towards Tor. "I've only met them this morning so I'm afraid beyond their names and a few random details, I know nothing of either of them."

"Well this man will have to remain here for the rest of the day, or at least until he wakes up. There's a chance he might have a concussion and if so, I'll have to insist he stay here a little longer," Melira said. "In the mean time, you can all wait here for him to wake, but please do so in the other room." With that, she left to return to what she had been doing before.

Keza looked at Goro and shrugged, the larger man moving to help him to his feet where they then followed Melira into the lobby where there was a table and several chairs. They chose to sit there for the moment. Melira returned from the back several minutes later with tea for them all.

"So, who's going to explain to me fully what happened out there and why you were with a pair of men you've just met this morning?" she asked, the latter question directed solely at Keza.

Keza recounted how he had met the other two in the lounge at the inn and how they had agreed to partner up to save the princess from Garland. He then explained how they decided to take a more round about route because of the returning soldiers and their resulting run in with Gash and his thugs. Goro took over then and described the rest of the encounter from when he arrived.

Melira put on a skeptical face, looking at Keza. "The three of you were planning on taking on the greatest knight in the kingdom and yet you couldn't even handle a minor gang of thugs? Forgive me if I sound rude, but don't you think you should have thought this through a little more carefully first?"

"Still jumping to conclusions I see," said a voice from the door. They turned to see Thol had returned from wherever he had gone. He walked over to them and took a seat across from Melira, which put Keza to his right and Goro on his left. "Tor and I are no amateurs. Had Tor been allowed to use his weapon or I my magic, either of us could have taken them all by ourselves. As it was, we weren't too interested in getting arrested right before our audience with the king, so we were forced to handicap ourselves. That and the addition of the edged weapons our foes were armed with caused our loss, not the lack of skill you seem to think we possess. Garland is one man, no matter how powerful he may be, he can be defeated."

Melira simply glared at him, trying to think of something to say to undermine the arrogant confidence in which he announced that he could fall an entire gang on his own. "Now you're the one jumping to conclusions. What do you know of Garland, other then he is a knight of supposedly great power? Nothing I'd bet. I've lived in this city all my life and I've seen first hand what Garland is capable of. I've seen him slay 4 ogres at once with his sword alone, and that's not all. I've never seen it myself, but long ago when Garland was still only a captain, my father watched as he cleared an entire pack of wolves out of town with his magic. The entire guard of the castle couldn't stop him. If you go after him, you'll just get hurt, or possibly even killed."

"We can handle it," Thol said between clenched teeth. _She may be pretty, but she's beginning to get on my nerves_, he thought as they glared at each other.

"Fine. If you still insist on pursuing this ridiculous task, I'll be going with you," she replied.

"Absolutely not. You'll just get in the way. By the looks of it, you've never been in a battle before. It's not all fun and games, lady."

"And what do you propose to do when, not if, someone gets injured? Potions alone won't be enough. I've seen it many times from foolish people who try and brave the temple. Why don't you just admit that you're going to need my help?"

"She has a point, Thol," Keza said from the right.

Thol sent his glare in his direction and watched Keza squirm for a few moments before turning back to Melira. He thought for a moment then sighed irritably. "Fine. You may come, but don't come crying to me when you find out the hard way what life outside the city is like."

"If she is going, then I'll be going too," Goro announced. Three heads turned in his direction, waiting for an explanation. "I know what the temple is like, I used to train there with my master. I will protect her from the dangers that dwell in that vile place. It's only proper if I am to call myself her friend."

"Why that's very kind of you, Goro. I'll gladly accept your protection," she replied smiling. She cast a victorious glance at Thol, who simply grunted.

"Whatever. We leave as soon as Tor is able," he said, no longer in the mood to argue.

"Well, if I'm to be going along, I shall have to inform the foreman and gather some things," Goro said, standing.

"And I think I should make a few stops as well. We'll meet back here later," Keza added, also standing. The two left together chatting about the upcoming adventure, leaving Thol and Melira to sit across from each other in silence.

"I suppose I should properly introduce myself," Thol said standing. He gave a slight bow as he had earlier saying, "Thollatos Zescalland."

After a brief moment of consideration, the manners her father imparted to her took hold and she also stood, giving a slight curtsy. "Melira Fedal."

_Fedal? Of course. How unobservant of me_, he though as her recognized the name. "Your father, he's also the foreign relations diplomat for the city, isn't he?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I've heard the name mentioned a few times back home."

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment.

"Well, I really should check up on your friend," Melira said, breaking the silence.

Thol nodded, sitting back down. Just as she was about to leave the room, he called out to her. She turned and looked at him.

"I apologize for hurting you earlier, but please don't ask me why I hide my face again."

She was rather confused by that. He said the words in such a sad tone that she was forced to once again re-evaluate her opinion of him, realizing that he was far more complicated then it initially seemed. She stood there for a moment, about to say something, but she noticed that he was no longer paying attention, instead, looking out the window away from her, lost in his own thoughts.

_Who are you really, Thollatos Zescalland? And what is it you hide from? _She thought before turning to check in on Tor. . . .

X X X X


	3. Chapter Two: Warriors of Light

**Chapter Two: Warriors of Light**

They'd met back at the clinic the next morning. Thol invited Keza to stay in the room he had purchased for him and Tor as the thief hadn't yet had the time to arrange one for himself. Goro had slept back at his place he rented while he was working on the construction crew for the library.

Tor was awake when they arrived with a fresh bandage around his head and chatting with Melira.

"Good to see you're alright, Tor," Thol said as he entered with the other two. He motioned behind him to Goro. "This is Goro Ronin. He saved our asses after you got taken out."

Tor stood and shook the man's hand. "Tor Zakon. I thank you for your help. Melira tells me that the two of you will also be coming with us."

"Indeed. I'm honor-bound as a friend to do so."

"Yeah, that's great. We heard this yesterday already," Thol interjected. He turned to Melira. "Is he good to go?" he asked, shoving a thumb in Tor's direction.

"He will be, but he has to keep the bandage on for the rest of the day for the herbs to finish healing," she replied.

"Good. I'm afraid you'll be wearing it to the throne room then, Tor," Thol said to him.

"It's no bother," he replied. Thol noticed that he had shaven and cleaned up his hair, making him look presentable again. The days rest also removed the dark circles under his eyes. Thol nodded to himself mentally, glad his friend was able to get proper rest, even if it was forced upon him.

"Right. Are we all ready then? We may have to do some fast talking to get the guards to let us see the king," Thol said.

"I can take care of that," Keza said. "I'm sure with a little help from Melira, we'll be inside in no time at all," he finished with his trademark grin, telling them he was up to no good.

"We'll see. If she can get us in on her own then we won't have to fall back on whatever mischief you've got in mind," replied Thol.

Their trip to the castle gates was uneventful, though many people stopped and stared at them as they passed, wondering what such an assortment of people were doing headed for the castle.

As was expected, the guards were a little weary of a group of armed people approaching the gates. One of the guards stepped forward to stop them.

"Halt! State your purpose," he said, obviously an officer from the tone of his voice.

"We wish to see the king regarding the incident two nights ago," Thol said to him.

"Only authorized personnel are allowed into the castle until such time as the incident has been cleared up," the officer said. His eyes narrowed suddenly. "Just what is it you know of the incident? It's supposed to be closed to the public."

Melira stepped up beside Thol at this point. "I told them, sir. I am Mr. Fedal's daughter so I am privy to the details of the incident. These men came to the clinic seeking work and knowing that the kingdom is in dire need of aid, I couldn't let them just walk out. These men are excellent fighters and wish to aid in the resolution of the incident, with the king's permission, of course."

"Smooth," Keza whispered admirably over to Tor who nodded in agreement. Thol for his part just gave her a questioning look, which she chose to ignore for now.

The officer seemed to think it over for a moment then nodded. "Very well. I will accompany you to the infirmary where General Cid will make the final decision as to whether you will see the king or not." He leaned back slightly and called to the guards at the top of the wall. "Open the gate!" he cried.

With a tremendous amount of noise, the massive bars of the gate slowly swung inward, opening the way for them. The officer turned toward the opening.

"Follow me," he said as he began walking. The five of them immediately followed.

After a few steps, Thol leaned closer to Melira, who replicated the gesture, aware that he wanted to say something the guard wasn't supposed to hear. He noted absently that she now wore matching bracelets on her wrists.

"Good work back there. It might have been a slight stretch of the truth, but it's infinitely better then anything Keza would have concocted."

"Thank you," she said with slight smile. "Sometimes it pays to have a father in politics," she commented.

Thol frowned. "Sometimes it doesn't," he mumbled, more to himself, then to her.

She was going to ask about it, but the officer motioned for them to stop.

"General Cid is in here. Please try and be courteous and polite. I'll explain to him why you've come and he'll most likely question you about your abilities or backgrounds, so make sure you answer him truthfully and without delay."

The officer then led them through the infirmary which was filled with people with varying degrees of injury. They paused before a bed housing the middle aged man they seen the day before returning to the castle.

"General Cid, sir," the officer said to gain his attention. He saluted as the man fixed his eyes upon him.

"Yes, lieutenant?"

The officer explained to him the purpose to the visit and the general moved his gaze from his man to that of the group, sizing each one up. His eyes widened suddenly as if realizing something.

"Lieutenant, I want you to present these people to the king right away, and make haste. It's a matter of grave importance," The general exclaimed.

The officer looked confused, as did the five people standing behind him, but the officer wasted no time, only pausing to once again salute and give a crisp, "Yes, sir!"

As they were whisked to the throne room, they were at a loss to explain the general's reaction, as was the officer, who explained to them he had no idea what was going on any more then they did. They had to pause a moment before the doors to the throne room where the officer relayed the generals instructions to the guards. They opened the doors immediately, not even bothering to disarm them as they entered.

The king wearily sat in his throne, obviously upset over the kidnapping of his eldest daughter, and the queen's throne was vacant, no doubt for the same reason. The thing that caught Thol's attention was the elven girl who stood before the king. She appeared to be no older then 16, though by elven standards, it was tough to tell. At a distance, Thol guessed she was the same height as Melira, maybe a bit taller, her long, white hair reaching down to her lower back. She was clad in a standard elven robe, modified to be red instead of the usual green for reasons he had no idea of. He wasn't able to make out anything else as she still facing the king.

The king, seeing them, gave a start and rose to his feet.

"Praise the Gods!" he said, waving his arms almost frantically. "Just as you have said, the Light Warriors have arrived!"

"What?" Thol said aloud, almost halting his forward movement. The others were similarly confounded.

"Please! Come closer! All will be explained!" the king announced excitedly. The elf girl had turned to face them as well, but unlike the king, she had an almost sad look on her face, as if she'd seen something she didn't want to.

The five of them stopped in front of the king and bowed with varying degrees of skill, Keza's being the worst. Thol noted that he was looking a little intimidated, this probably being the first time he was in the presence of someone with such authority.

"Excuse me, your majesty," Tor began, still with a look of confusion on his face. "But what are these Light Warriors you mentioned?"

"Why, you are all the Light Warriors!" he exclaimed happily, as if that alone explained it.

"I don't quite understand," Goro voiced for them all.

"The Light Warriors," the elf girl said, finally speaking, causing them all to look in her direction. She began to move forward as she spoke. "A long time ago, a great sage had a vision, a vision of the future. That vision told of a time when darkness would blanket the world, a time when the elements would be dying and monsters terrorized the world. He saw the rise of a group of people who would combat these monsters and save the world, restoring the elements, the Light Warriors. This man's name is Lukahn and his vision is known as Lukahn's Prophecy."

"Wait, how long ago are we talking about," Thol asked suddenly.

"Several hundred years, Mana-Weaver," the girl replied, the name she chose to call him confusing them further.

"There's a man named Lukahn at Crescent Lake, a sage no less. Surely he isn't the same? That would be impossible," Thol asked.

"No," the girl said, stopping right in front of him to stare him directly in the eyes. Thol absently noted that her eyes were a dark blue, like that of the sea. "The man you speak of is the very same Lukahn whom I spoke of."

"But... How?" Thol stuttered.

"There are some things in this world more powerful then time. Destiny is one of them. There are others that have traversed through time, waiting for the Light Warriors to come. You'll be meeting them all soon."

"Who are you?" Keza asked suddenly, actually frightened by the girl.

"The girl took a step away from Thol and bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. How rude of me not to introduce myself first when I already know who all of you are. I am Valamaria Ituliril, the Guide. I've been chosen by the gods to bear the vision of the prophecy. I'm to instruct you all as to what your fate will be."

"Wait a moment," Keza said, interrupting her. "How do you know that we're these so called Light Warriors? There's probably a thousand other people out there more suited for this then us."

"No, Shadowman. I've seen you all in the vision. There's no mistaking you're the ones. You were destined to all arrive in this throne room at the exact moment you did."

"Why do you keep calling us by these odd names?" Goro asked, perplexed.

"I said I know who you are, not by the names given to you by your parents, but by the names given to you by the gods," the girl said. She stopped then, looking very tired. "I'd like to know your real names though," she said in a quiet voice.

"Thollatos Zescalland," Thol offered first. "Evidently I'm the Mana-Weaver, which makes sense in light of my profession."

"Torsteid Kurwin, now Tor Zakon."

"The Swordsman," the girl replied, causing them all to nod.

"Melira Fedal."

"The Lightbearer."

"Keza Kran... The Shadowman?" he asked, somewhat questioningly.

The girl nodded. "Named so for your unique abilities most frown upon, but will become an indispensable asset during your quest."

"Goro Ronin."

"The Guardian," the girl finished. "I, as I said earlier, am the Guide, but please, call me Vala, as Valamaria is quite a lung full."

"I'm still not entirely convinced about this whole Light Warrior thing," Thol said. "Everything you've told us so far can be chalked up to coincidence and a good deal of research."

Vala smiled at him. "The prophecy told me you'd say that, and it has this for you," she said, stepping beside him to whisper in his ear.

Thol started and dropped his staff, taking a step away from the girl. "Wh-wh... H-how?" was all he managed to say before collapsing on the ground, staring up at her in awe.

"Thol! What's wrong?" Tor said, kneeling down beside him. Melira did the same on his other side.

For his part he could only shake his head.

"Thol?" Melira inquired quietly.

He looked at her, and though they were nothing more then a silvery glow, she could clearly see fear in his eyes. "She's absolutely right. There's no one else," he said in a weak voice.

"I don't understand," she said.

He shook his head again. Tor helped him up and he retrieved his staff. Again facing the girl, though keeping his distance from her, he sighed. "What is it we're to do?" he asked quietly.

Vala smiled, glad she wouldn't have to convince him further as he would have to discover the true nature of his self imposed curse on his own. "Your first task, mine as well, is to rescue Princess Sara, thus proving, not only to yourselves, but to everyone else, that you are truly the Light Warriors."

"Interesting coincidence," Tor said. "That's the very reason we requested an audience to begin with."

"It's no coincidence, Torsteid. Fate," Vala replied. "There is one thing that has to be done first, however."

"What is it?" Melira asked.

"You must all choose to follow the path of the Light Warriors. Myself and Thollatos have already decided. The rest of you must now also choose."

"Wait, if we're gathered here by destiny, aren't we destined to choose the path as well?" Keza asked.

"No, dear Keza. Remember I said there are things more powerful then time, destiny being one of them. Well there's something even more powerful even then destiny, and that's free will."

Keza shook his head and began to pace, his mind racing as he tried to grasp a concept he should never have had to.

"I choose now," Tor said. "I will follow destiny to wherever it leads me. I embrace fate and become a Light Warrior willingly, in honor of my master, Sir Zakon." His piece said, he went over to stand by Thol and Vala.

"If this is what fate has chosen for me, so be it," Melira added. "I too choose to follow destiny," she said, joining the others.

"As do I. My duty is clear to me. I am the Guardian and I will guard you all during battle or die trying," Goro announced, also going over.

This left Keza, alone on the other side of the carpet that divided the room, pacing frantically. They looked to him and waited.

"I don't know. I don't know about this at all. I'm no hero. Gods damn it, I'm a fucking street rat, a thief. How can I help save the world when I can barely fend for myself? There has to be some sort of mistake..." he said, rambling on.

Vala walked over to him, causing him to stop pacing and face her. She put her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at her.

"Dear Keza, you've had a long and hard life. Everything you've ever done that you think you should be punished for wasn't your fault, it was your fate, so stop blaming yourself for your past."

"Who am I to blame then? You said it yourself, free will doesn't answer to destiny. Who, if not myself, it at fault?"

"Blame the gods if you have to, for they are the ones who took your parents from you at such a young age, though they all mourned having to do so." She leaned closer to him and whispered so only he could hear her. "The redemption you believe you must have is coming, I promise you. Now choose and join your companions." With that she walked back over to the others who all wore expressions of sympathy, all except Thol, who face was hidden in shadow as always.

"What do you choose, Keza Kran?" Vala said with a note of finality.

He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. Finally, he looked up from the floor where he had been staring, sorting through his thoughts, and looked at them. "I choose to follow destiny, even if I am to be damned," he announced with a note of sadness, then he joined the others, who welcomed him warmly.

"Excellent, excellent!" the king said, finally speaking after being silent for so long. They all turned to him. "I don't mean to rush, but please, Light Warriors, go now and save my daughter, I beg of you. You may arm yourselves with whatever you see fit from the armory before you go."

"Of course, your majesty," Thol said, bowing again, causing the others to follow suit. "We will try our best to defeat Garland and rescue Princess Sara."

"This, I guarantee on my honor," Tor added.

"As do we all," Goro said.

The king stepped down and laid a hand on Tor's shoulder. "Thank you," he said in a grateful voice. "All of you. I have faith in you and the prophecy. Good luck."

They nodded and rose in unison, turning to head for the door where they would leave to follow their destiny. . . .

X X X X

A few hours later they found themselves riding on fine horses lent to them by the king on their way to the dreaded Temple of Fiends, all of them armed now with the exception of Goro, who in himself, was a weapon. Melira now carried a staff much like Thol's, but newer and of finer materials. Vala had armed herself with a lightweight saber, though she willingly admitted she had no skill with any sort of weapon or magic.

"We'll have to teach you something," Thol was saying. "It's too dangerous being out here with no training what so ever." He dropped back to where she was riding and pulled up beside her. "Face me," he instructed. She did. Taking his hands off the reigns for a moment, he placed his hands on either side of her head and concentrated for a moment.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly concerned.

"I'm checking your magical potential, now hold still and don't speak," Thol said, closing his eyes to deepen his concentration. Tor rode ahead to the side of Thol's horse and caught the reigns so that it stayed on course as he was concentrating. Melira looked on with interest, curious as to what he was doing. "I see," he said finally, removing his hands and opening his eyes again. "That explains the color of your dress."

"What is it, Thol?" Melira asked.

"She's a red mage, capable of both white and black magic. Unfortunately, the higher threads of magic will be out of her grasp," Thol explained.

"Is that good?" Vala asked. "Being a red mage I mean."

"It's definitely an asset. I myself would like to be able to wield certain white magics, but it's far out of my reach," Thol said. "We'll stop a little earlier then normal when we make camp. Melira and I can teach you the basics as we go."

"Perhaps I could also instruct her on using her weapon if time permits," Tor offered from beside Thol.

"We'll see how well she picks up magic first," Thol said. "We have a few days before we get to the temple if I remember correctly. Goro?"

The large man thought for a moment, looking a little out of place on a horse due to his size. "We'll have about two nights, three if we wait to head into the temple itself."

"Make it three then," Thol finished. He dropped back so they weren't too clustered in case of an attack by the monsters that roamed around Coneria. He ended up riding beside Melira.

"What exactly was that you did just now?" she asked.

"With my hands?" he asked. She nodded. "Anyone who can use magic has the innate ability to detect magic in any form. It takes practice to learn what the different sensations mean though."

Melira nodded and became silent for a moment. "Could you teach me?" she asked eventually.

He looked over at her, considering it. "Alright, but we'll get Vala on her feet first. How are you with that staff?"

She hung her head, as if in shame. "My father taught me a little bit, but I'm not very good."

"Okay, I'll instruct you on that too when we have time. For now, if we run into trouble, try to stay out of trouble and let the rest of us take care of things." He thought for a moment. "Better yet, keep an eye on Vala, that way Goro will have you both covered."

"Okay... Thank you, Thol. I'm sorry if I wasn't very nice to you before."

"Don't worry about it," he said with a shake of his head. "I probably deserved it anyway."

They rode for a little while longer in silence, all of them thinking different things. Tor was riding beside Vala when a thought occurred to him.

"So, Vala. How did the vision of the prophecy come to you?"

"I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I was at home sleeping. It started as a dream, but it got worse from there. I remember waking up screaming as the entire vision suddenly burned itself into my mind."

"That must have been terrible," Tor said, a sympathetic frown on his face.

"You have no idea... It was like suddenly gaining a third eye, but no matter what I look at, it always sees the same thing. It's hard to remember things now. The vision is always there, as clear as if it was happening right now. I haven't really slept since it happened."

"When was that?"

"The same night Garland kidnapped the princess," she stated.

"What? How did you get here all the way from Elfland in two days?" Thol asked from behind her, having been listening the entire time.

"After the dream, or the vision rather, I immediately went to the chancellor, because the prince is still under a curse. He listened to what happened and called for the royal wizards, one white, one black. They combined their power to send me immediately to Coneria after they clad me in this red robe." She looked back at Thol then. "I guess they knew I was to be a red mage same as you."

Thol nodded. "That must have put quite a drain on them. Teleportation spells by themselves are exhausting and limited."

"From what they said, neither of them will be able to wield magic for several days."

The conversation would likely have continued had they not been attacked at that moment. Tor's horse reared back as a rather large pack of wolves, lead by a pair of grey wolves, leapt from the woods nearby.

"Heads up!" Tor yelled as he tried to calm his mount and draw his sword at the same time.

"Get Vala to the back, quickly!" Thol yelled, hoping her horse wouldn't try what Tor's was doing.

Goro reacted quickly, jumping off his horse and rushing toward Vala's, grabbing the reigns and leading it away from the pack where Tor and Thol had already engaged the beasts, Keza only a stride away. Thol had opted to dismount as Goro had giving him more room to use his staff and a clearer shot if he decided to cast any magic, though the choice left him surrounded.

Tor on the other hand was able to remain mounted, making short work of the large beasts, killing two with a single swipe as he rode into the center of the pack. Keza, using a similar tactic, rode by on his horse and dove into the middle of the pack, knives flashing. Melira and Vala also remained on their horses, Melira doing her best to keep Vala away from the few wolves that managed to get by Goro, who seemed to be in constant motion fending off the remaining ones.

Thol in the mean time was hard pressed, being surrounded by four, one being a grey, Tor having killed the other one just moments before. He was beginning to regret his decision to leave his horse as he was too busy keeping the wolves back to ready a spell. As he was fending off an attack by one, which was aimed at his throat, another of the beasts attacked him from behind. His staff caught in the jaws of the other wolf, he would have been in trouble if it wasn't for the timely aid of a thrown dagger to the skull courtesy of Keza. As it was though, the beast's momentum still sent it crashing into his back, send both him and the two wolves to the ground. His staff was free now though, the force wrenching it from the jaws of the still living wolf. Shrugging off the corpse of the one Keza killed, he stepped back and managed to get them all to one side.

"Finally," he said aloud, gathering his will. He thrust the palm of his free hand toward the wolves, directing his will at them. A sudden violent fire erupted beneath the three wolves, two of them fleeing, near dead. All that reminded now was the grey wolf, seriously injured. _This, I can handle. Bring it on_, he thought as the final wolf approached him.

Keza, smack in the middle of a group of about five wolves, wasn't fairing so well since he aided Thol. He had since lost one of his knives, the blade getting stuck in the ribs of one of the fallen monsters. He was inevitably taken down when one of them leapt at him as he was engaged with another, similar to what they'd done to Thol. He had only enough time to get his arm up to prevent the thing from digging his teeth into his neck. Unfortunately, the other wolves were on him in a second, tearing at his from all angles.

They didn't have long though as Tor rode in out of nowhere, practically lifting the one on top of him off the ground with a powerful swing of his broadsword. This gave Keza time enough to leap back to his feet, kicking out at one as he moved. It hit the ground, luckily landing on its feet and leapt back at him. It met its death as another thrown dagger found its mark at the base of the thing's throat. Keza rolled to the side, the dead beast landing on two if it's kin. They had just enough time to get up only to be trampled and cleaved in half by a returning Tor.

Melira and Vala were stuck having to deal with a single wolf that had snuck around on Goro, their horses long since fleeing in fright after they were forced to dismount. Melira kept it back with her staff, nearly getting caught several times. Vala hid behind her, saber drawn just in case, not sure what to do. She was forced to react though when the wolf knocked Melira right over and leapt at her. With a cry of alarm, she brought the sword up and the wolf impaled itself on it, taking them both to the ground. Melira wasted no time getting up and shoving the beast off of her, hoping she was alright. She was relieved to find that other then being a little shaken and drenched in blood, Vala was fine.

Goro was down to two wolves when Thol finally finished off the grey wolf with a sickening blow to the skull. Seeing the large man was beginning to tire, he sent a low leveled lightning spell at the two of them, causing them to help and flee from the battle. Tor and Keza finished off the last they were fighting seconds later.

The battle over, they all grouped around in a circle.

"Well, that went fairly well for our first battle as a unit," Thol commented, leaning on his staff to catch his breath. "Who's hurt?"

"Keza's got some nicks here and there in addition to his arm being nearly mangled," Tor commented.

"Nice of you to notice," the blue haired man replied, wincing in pain as he pulled a tooth out of his arm.

"I also sustained a few wounds, though all minor," Goro announced, his breathing having returned to normal already.

"I'll take a look at them," Melira announced, going first to Keza who was by far the worse off.

"I've never killed anything before," Vala said in a weak voice after a few moments. Thol looked over. The poor girl was almost in tears. Thol looked over to the others for help, himself being woefully inadequate at such things. Surprisingly, it was Keza, just finished getting patched up, who moved to comfort her.

"Hey there kid, cheer up. It was either him or you, you know. Just be glad it was a monster and not something else," he said, casually slinging an arm, coincidently the one that had been mauled by the wolf, over her shoulder. "I still remember my first kill. I'll probably never forget it. Heck, I was younger then you were and it wasn't a monster, or even an animal."

"What was it?" Vala asked, listening so closely to Keza's story that she had forgotten she was upset.

Keza put on a dark look. "It was a man," he said, somewhat sadly.

Vala's face took on a look of shock. "What happened?"

_Guess her little vision didn't tell her that one_. Thol thought as he listened on, also curious.

"Well, I'd been on the streets for awhile by then, stealing mostly to keep on living. I guess I must have wandered into some gangs turf 'cause they stopped me and started to beat me around about taking things from their street. I was young and still full of pride back then so I started shoving back, eventually knocking their leader to the ground. Well, that was enough for them. He was pissed and drew a knife along with a few of the others. As he came closer, I did the only thing I could. I waited until he was close enough and wrestled the knife away from him, biting his hand to get him to let go. To cut a long story short, we tussled around a bit, but because there was more of them then me, the only thing I could do to get out of it alive was stab one of them. I suppose if I would've had a few more seconds to think it over, I could have hit him somewhere else, but I hit him right where it counts, through the ribs and into the heart. He fell to the ground and I already knew he was dead, his body just didn't realize it yet. His gang suddenly forgot about me, shoving me aside to see if he was alright. I took that opportunity to run. I ran for hours it seemed, but it wasn't until I was able to stop that I realized what I'd done. Because I was alone and hungry, I broke down and cried. For a long time I just cried. I knew I'd saved my life by doing it, but I still killed him. He probably wasn't any different then me, orphaned or runaway, just trying to make as best a living as possible, but still... He wasn't even that old either, no more then twenty I'd guess. Thinking back on it now, it's a miracle I still escaped with my life. Most gangs would have killed now and worried about their fallen later."

"Destiny has a funny way of working sometimes," Vala commented, totally wrapped up in his story now.

"So you see, getting upset over the loss of something horrible like that," he said, motioning toward a wolf corpse, "is a little silly don't you think?"

"But, they just wanted to eat, didn't they? Isn't that why animals hunt?" she asked, innocently.

"That," Keza pointed again to the corpse, "was no animal. It's a monster. It hunts for the pleasure of killing. That's the main difference between monsters and animals. Nothing on this planet mourns the loss of these creatures. They're a menace even to themselves, mutated from animals to serve evil. Understand?"

She nodded. "I guess I never really though about it like that. No one ever explained the difference to me before. I-I was nobody before the vision came to me, just a common village girl." She sighed and a single tear fell from her eye. "I never asked for any of this... I never wanted it. I just wanted to be normal like everyone else."

Keza drew her into a full embrace. "None of use are normal, Vala. There's no such thing as normal. If we were all normal, the world would be a boring place, don't you think? We'd all be mulling about with silly little grins on our faces going 'look at me! I'm normal!'."

Vala laughed at the ridiculous voice he used to mimic the 'normal' people. She carried on for sometime.

"Better now?" he asked after she regained her composure.

"Yes. Thank you, Keza. You're wise beyond your years."

"Nah," he said, still embracing her. "Thol is wise. I've just been around a few times. Now come on. It looks like the others have gathered up the horses. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"You're right," she said. He broke the embrace and they both stood up, Vala walking over to where Melira had their horses. Keza was about to follow when Thol stopped him.

"Well done. Perhaps there's some hope for you after all," he said to him.

Keza simply shrugged. "It wasn't much."

"Perhaps not, but she'll trust you now. Keep an eye out for her from now on. Goro can only do so much as that last battle proved."

"If you think that's best."

Thol nodded and moved to the recently recovered horses, remounting and waiting for the others. Melira was just finishing taking care of Goro's wounds and as soon as they were all set, they were off again. . . .

X X X X

Later at camp after they had all eaten and rested for about an hour, Thol motioned for Melira to join him and they went to up to Vala.

"Are you ready to begin training in magic?" Thol asked.

"Yes, I think so," she replied.

Thol nodded and sat opposite to her, prompting Melira to sit beside him. Thol cleared his throat and rubbed his chin in though for a moment, trying to decide how to begin. He'd never really trained anyone before.

"Alright, first off, how much exactly do you know about magic?"

"Not very much. I know that it takes energy to use and that there's two school, but beyond that, I haven't a clue."

"Perhaps it's best to start with theory then," Thol said. He turned briefly to the others. "If the rest of you are curious as to what magic is, feel free to listen in."

The other three also gathered around on either side of the little triangle formed by the three mages.

"Okay, back in the castle, you stated that the prophecy refers to me as the Mana-Weaver. Do you know why?" he asked.

"I assumed it is because you're a magician," Vala replied.

"True, but magician is really a little inaccurate, more of a slang word. Mana-Weaver is more correct. Magic, in essence, is the manipulation of the world's mana, an energy latent in all things, living or non-living, though it's generally stronger in the living. This is the reason why some monsters are immune to certain elements, because their mana is more in tune with that element. Understand so far?"

She nodded.

"That it also the reason why almost everyone has the potential to use magic, though some are born with the ability, others have to work for it. There are those few people, however, who are blind to the mana-flow. No one has ever figured out why, though there are some theories about it."

"So, you're saying even I could use magic?" Keza asked from where he was sitting beside Vala.

"If you were to work at it, yes, I'd say you could, though I wouldn't be able to teach you. It would take someone of far greater skill then I to coax your magic to the surface."

Keza nodded and looked down in thought as Thol continued.

"Anyway, that covers half of what mana is. The weaver part comes into play next. Now, mana isn't just a single power that flows throughout the planet. It's basically divided up into two strings, each string having eight threads of power, hence the term 'Mana-Weaver'. When you cast a spell, you're literally weaving threads mana into the spell you with to use. The two strings I mentioned earlier are the reason why we have both White and Black magic. The eight threads that comprise these strings are why we have eight levels of magic, one more powerful then the next. Fairly simple so far, yes?"

Vala and the others nodded again.

"But why is it that you can only cast Black magic and Melira only White while Vala can use both?" Tor asked.

"Primarily it has to do with one's affinity to either string, but everyone in theory is born a Red Mage. You remain a Red Mage up until the first time you ever cast a second level spell of either string without first having cast a spell of the other string, though there's consequences of doing either. If you stay within the same thread and there for become either a White or Black Mage, you become blind to the other string, only being able to sense it from then on. On the other hand, if you remain a Red Mage by drawing from both strings, it becomes impossible to reach the higher threads of both strings because they are opposite and incompatible. There have been many attempts by all types of magicians to combine the strings, but none have ever succeeded."

"But what about the two mages that sent me to Coneria? They were of different orders and they combined their power to get me there," Vala asked.

"Yes, it may seem like they combined their powers, but really they just times it so that their spells targeted you at the same time, thus enhancing their effect. The sheer distance they had to send you still caused them both to be drained for several days no doubt however. Neither would have been able to do it alone."

"So how does the affinity you mentioned work into it?" Goro asked.

"Well, as I said, we're all born Red Mages, but each of us are tuned differently to each string. The stronger your affinity to the string, the stronger the magic you wield of the string will be. When there is a noticeable difference in the strength of one string over the next, you're considered to be a mage of that string. When you affinity to both strings is about equal, you're considered to be a true Red Mage as choosing to be an exclusive mage would be less of an advantage then remaining Red. Most Red Mages make up for the loss of the higher threads with their versatility. For some one like me to have chosen to be a Red Mage would have been a waste as my affinity to the Black magic thread was very high. I could have been a White Mage if I had chosen, but my magic would be so weak, it wouldn't have been worth the effort of learning."

"So that is what magic is?" Tor asked.

"That about covers most of it, yes," Thol replied.

"I suppose you already knew all that?" Keza asked Melira.

She nodded. "Most of it. Thol explained it a little better then the book I learned from though and he also explained why it was like it is."

"So, how come you can only use so much magic at once then?" Tor asked.

"Well, when you cast magic, you're taking mana from your surrounding to power the spell, but it also takes from your own mana. Not only will extended spell casting tire you out, but there's a limit to how much magic you can cast from each thread. Each time you cast a spell from a specific thread, the thread inside you becomes weaker until it collapses all together and you can't cast from that thread anymore. Over time, the thread will recover, usually when you sleep, though it takes a little longer for the thread to repair itself if it collapses, so using up all your magic for a particular thread usually isn't a good idea unless you have no choice. Now the mana threads inside you work kind of like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Eventually, if you use a thread enough times, you'll be able to use the thread above it, though it will be weak at first, usually collapsing after a single spell. Obviously, it takes more energy to cast a spell of a higher thread, as first you have to unravel the string to get to the inner threads, but that too becomes easier over time."

"So not only do you have to worry about your own energy level, but you also have to worry about the strength of your mana string?" Vala asked.

"Correct. You'll find in the beginning that you'll probably only be able to cast one or two spells a day and that you'll be exhausted each time. Everyone goes through it though, and if you keep in practice, it usually goes away in a week or two."

"I'm curious," Keza began. "As Vala is a Red Mage and can cast from both strings, won't she be able to cast twice as many spells as either a Black or White Mage?"

"No. Oddly enough, though they are for the majority opposite and unrelated, they share strength across threads. No one's ever figured that one out either, but they figure that it's because they're still part of the same power, that's why people continue to try and mix the strings, figuring that they are connected in some way. I personally don't think it's possible. If they are connected, they'd be connected only in the inner most threads, but since one can't access both strings at the same time, we'll never know. That's another thing you'll have to worry about," Thol said to Vala, just being reminded of something. "You'll have to practice with both strings equally or the other string will weaken. That's the reason why Red Mages can't access the higher threads. Each time you cast a spell from one string, it weakens the strength of the other string, further proof to some that the strings are connected somehow. Over time, if you only use one string, you'll become blind to the other and you'll become an exclusive mage whether you wanted to or not."

"It sounds like being a Red Mage is a lot of work," Vala commented.

"It is, but those who've decided after being a Red Mage for some time to switch over to being an exclusive mage regret it, saying that the versatility made up for the extra work. You should be alright. Being an elf gives you an advantage as they are more in tune with mana then us humans."

"So why, after you become an exclusive mage, can you not see the other string?" Goro asked.

"No one is really sure on that one, but they think that if you weaken the opposing string enough, it goes through a sort of 'crash' and can no longer repair itself. You know when it happens as it's a little stressful. I was quite young when it happened to me and I was bedridden for a few days after."

"I remember having to sleep for twice as long as I normally do when it happened to me. It wasn't that long ago really. Last year I think," Melira added. "It is something you'll likely not forget."

"I think that's enough for now," Thol said. "We can either leave the next step for another day, or we can try a spell right now."

Vala thought it over for a bit. "I... Think I'd like to try it."

"Alright, come. Let's move off a ways. We'll need a bit of room," Thol said.

The three of them stood up and walked a short distance away from the camp, far enough away that no one would get hurt, but close enough so the light from the fire still fell upon them.

"Alright. The hardest part about magic is learning to sense the flow of mana. Once you know what it feels like, things get easier from there. Melira, I'm going to cast a mid level spell on you and you'll find you won't be able to move, but don't panic. I'll release the spell quickly, okay?"

"Alright," she replied, a little concerned.

"Vala, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on the world around you. Be aware of anything you feel that is unusual."

"Okay," she said closing her eyes and concentrating.

Thol took a deep breath and looked at Melira nodding to ask if she was ready. She nodded back and Thol began to gather his will, releasing it in the form of a hold spell.

Melira was a little startled not to be able to move, even though she had been prepared for it, it was still a little disarming to say the least. The sensation was gone after a brief moment though, Thol being true to his word about releasing it quickly, and she was quite relieved.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's alright," she said. She turned to Vala. "Did you feel it?"

"I think so," she said. "It felt almost like a stiff breeze, but not real, you know?"

"That would be it," Thol said. "I'll cast a second spell, this time a little weaker and not on Melira. See if you can feel it again." Vala nodded. Thol again clenched his will, not needing to hold it virtually at all before lighting a nearby bush on fire.

"I felt it again!" Vala cried out elatedly.

"Good. Now you have to try and feel it when there is no spell being cast. Close your eyes again and concentrate on trying to find that feeling."

Vala wordlessly complied, her face taking on a look of intense concentration. For a long time she felt nothing and began to worry. Then she took a deep breath and calmed herself down, concentrating further. Slowly, like your eyes adjusting to the sudden dark, she began to feel it again. At first, it was just inside her, but then, it expanded out, starting with the ground beneath her, then she was able to sense her teachers, both almost blotting everything else out with their radiance, especially Thol, who shone like the sun. She gave a noise of delight and opened her eyes, still able to feel the flow of mana and wondering how she could have missed it all this time.

"I see you've got it," Thol replied, seeing her smile as she looked at them.

"Yes. It's amazing, but what do I do with it now that I can feel it?"

"Now we have to teach you how to manipulate it into a spell. Concentrate on the mana inside you and try to picture it as a string or a rope. If you have to, close your eyes again."

She did. After a moment she said, "Okay. Now what?"

"Melira," he said, getting her attention, "explain to her how to cast a cure spell. It's supposed to be the easiest spell of all of them to cast, though I myself find fire to be easier."

"You've done it before?" she asked, a little surprised.

He nodded. "Once, when I was very small and before I had decided to be a Black Mage. I cast both cure and fire the same day and nearly passed out because of it. Two weeks later I was a Black Mage."

"Wow. That was fast," Melira replied. "It took me almost two months to work my way up to the second thread."

Thol nodded. "We'll talk about it later. We have other things to do right now."

Melira spent the next five minutes going over the details of the cure spell. In the meantime, Thol had returned to camp to borrow a dagger from Keza. Thol ignored him when he asked why he needed it and returned to where the girls were.

"Almost done?" he asked when he returned.

"Just about," Melira said. She finished explaining it to Vala and said, "Okay. I think we can give it a try."

Thol nodded and brought the dagger up to his left hand, which was ungloved for once. He made a superficial cut across the palm causing Vala to inhale in surprise.

"Thol!" Melira cried in alarm. "Why did you do that?"

"It's best for her to be able to see the results. I'll be fine," he replied, wincing slightly from the pain. He'd cut it a little deeper then he'd planned. "Go whenever you're ready," he said to Vala.

She stepped forward and took Thol's wounded hand in hers, her other hand hovering over the wound. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying her best to do what Melira had instructed her to do. After a while, a faint green glow appeared, surrounding the wound and closing it up. It wasn't perfect, as it left behind an ugly bruise, but it worked nonetheless. She opened her eyes to see what had happened.

"Congratulations," Thol said as she opened her eyes.

She let out a squeal of joy and spontaneously embraced Thol, almost throwing him off balance.

"Thank you so much!" she said, releasing him suddenly and attacking Melira as well, who was a little more prepared then Thol had been. "Both of you!"

"It was no problem, Vala," Melira said, smiling warmly and returning her embrace.

"You're probably a little tired after that. We should return to camp now so you can rest," Thol suggested.

"Okay," Vala replied. She rushed back to camp, excited to tell everyone that she'd done it, leaving Thol and Melira by themselves.

"She seems happy," Melira commented, stepping beside Thol as they both watched her leave.

"It'll take her mind off the vision for awhile at least," he replied, flexing the hand which was still partially wounded.

"Want me to take a look at that?" she asked.

"If you don't mind. I cut a little deeper then I planned, so it still hurts."

She took Thol's hand in hers just as Vala had and Thol found himself thinking how soft and pleasantly warm her touch was. _Enough of that_, he berated himself. She finished healing it with an almost negligent wave of her hand, the green colored magic removing any trace of the cut. He was a little disappointed when she let go of his hand, but he didn't dwell on it.

"Tomorrow we'll try her out with a fire spell and maybe let Tor give her a few pointers with that saber she has," he said.

Melira nodded. "You're a really good teacher, Thol. I wish you could have taught me. I would have learned a lot faster."

"I doubt it. I'm not that good," he replied.

"Sure you are."

Thol let it drop, not particularly in the mood for arguing. "We should return to camp now too. We still have a long way to go before we get to the temple and we'll need all the rest we can get."

Melira nodded and they returned to camp where a still excited Vala was sitting next to Keza telling him all about her first magic spell. . . .

X X X X

The next day was rather uneventful. They had a skirmish with a troop of imps which was resolved with minimal injury. They set up camp that night just before the marsh about a day away from the temple. Thol and Melira managed to get Vala to cast a fire spell that night and she was equally delighted as she had been with her first spell. Tor had also managed to get her using a few simple sword strikes and parries she could defend herself with.

Thol woke up the morning after in a sour mood. Sleeping that close to the marsh forced them all to have to listen to all sorts of noisy insects all night, so he was a little less rested then he would have preferred.

"Morning, Thol," Tor said to him as he passed by. He grunted in response. "Bad night?" he asked mildly.

Thol sent him a nasty look, knowing full well that Tor could sleep through anything. His ire calmed a bit when Keza stumbled, bleary eyed out of his tent as well.

"We're never camping beside a marsh again," the blue haired man whined, rubbing his eyes in an effort to clear his vision.

"I agree," Thol replied.

Grumpy as he was, he might have overdone it when a pair of mad ponies stormed the campsite with a small pack of wolves at their heels. All ready getting irritated because the tent he was trying to pack up was causing him problems, upon sight of the monsters, he threw the tent down on the ground and faced them.

"Move!" he yelled at Tor, who had rushed to the attack.

Tor, knowing better then to second guess Thol when he used that tone, dived out of the way leaving a clear path between the mage and the monsters.

Even out in the open, the concussive blast from the spell he cast was brutal, knocking the remainder of the tents down and scattering anything loose all over the camp site. The monsters, engulfed in the highest level fire spell known to man, were burnt to ash in seconds.

When the noise had gone down, everyone looked of from whatever they were hiding behind to see a blackened patch of earth with a few minor fires still burning, the only trace of the monsters being a few bits of ash blowing in the wind.

Thol went back to packing the tent, the others looking at him in awe. After a few moments of utter silence, Thol looked over to the others, who were still looking at him.

"_What?_" he asked in an angry tone.

Tor was the first to regain his composure. "That... was..."

"Amazing," Keza finished for him.

"Truly astounding," Goro added. "I had no idea magic could be so powerful."

"Isn't that spell a little... Dangerous?" Keza asked, noting how the camp site was in shambles.

"It can be in a confined space. The spell caster will be unharmed, but an inexperienced mage with this kind of power can easily harm his comrades," Thol mumbled, still grumpy and tired.

Back on the road, Melira rode up beside Thol, who was slouched in his saddle in a half doze.

"Thol," she said quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was really asleep.

He grunted and opened his eyes to face her. "Yes?"

"Where did you learn how to do that? That spell I mean?"

"Home. Crescent Lake. I don't use it very often because it is dangerous and also tiring. Why?"

"I just... I've never seen or heard of anything like that before. What happened when you first tried it?"

Thol paused for a moment, thinking back. "It was out of anger actually. I'd been running from my 'peers'," Thol began, the last word pronounced with heavy sarcasm, "and I had gotten lost. I must have wandered around for hours in the mountains north of home. Eventually I stumbled upon a frost dragon."

"How old were you?" Melira asked, gasping.

"Hmm... I must have been about twelve at the time, so as you could imagine, staring an irate dragon down the throat at that age, I thought I was dead. Had I gotten lost on my own, I probably would have broke down and cried and would have been killed, but I became angry at the bastards who chased me in the mountain, blaming them for my imminent death, and it just kind of came out of me. Lucky for me it was a young dragon and the spell killed it, because I passed out immediately after." Thol snorted then. "My father, for once in his life, actually became worried about me after I didn't return home. They eventually found me there. I'd suffered a few minor burns from the fires resulting from the spell and I was sick for a week afterwards from smoke inhalation. No one's ever broken the fifth thread at that age before. My father, instead of being proud of me like anyone else would have, only became angry, saying I was irresponsible and needed more training, so because he's on the Mage's Council at the academy, I was forced to go through training with everyone else, even though I was years ahead of them."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened after that?"

"I put up with it for a few years, until I was about sixteen I think. I'd since then learned a second fifth level spell and completed my training in all the lower levels on my own time. I was taken to see Lukahn at that time, like every one is at that age. He and I had a long talk. He told me I was the best mage the academy had ever seen and that one day I'd be the most powerful mage ever. I was a little rude with him at that point as I was still forced by my father to move through training at the same pace as everyone else. He agreed that it shouldn't be that way, but that there was nothing anyone could do about it, also that it would be necessary for reason's I would understand until later."

"I suppose you know why now?" Melira asked, referring to how they were on this quest.

"Yes. It was a year later I got into a rather serious argument with my father and I struck out at him with magic, a low level spell, just enough to get him away from me, but my father threatened to use his position on the council to force me to repeat a large part of my training. I left Crescent Lake the next day telling only my mother I was leaving. I purchased some supplies and in the middle of the night, started a long and dangerous trip through the mountains, eventually ending up in Provoka. That's when I met Tor for the first time. Ever since then, we've been traveling around the continent, doing odd jobs here and there, up until about two years ago. We were passing through Coneria actually when we found out that Tor's brother was killed by a band of pirates. Tor went home to investigate and I've been by myself until I ran into him again the other day. You know the rest."

"And when did you start hiding in shadows, Thol?" Melira dared to ask.

Thol glared at her, about to yell at her for asking, but he instead sighed and bowed his head.

"After I left home, but before I met Tor. The people of Provoka weren't very receptive to me when I first arrived," he said quietly. Melira looked as if she was about to say something, but he cut her off. "I'm not going to tell you, so don't bother asking."

"Why do you keep saying that?" she asked, a little hurt by his refusal.

"Look, I've already told you not to ask. It's a simple concept. I don't even know why we're having this conversation," Thol replied, becoming irritated.

"I just want to help you, Thol! Why can't you understand that?" she said, her voice going up a notch in volume.

"I don't want your help! You can't help me, so just let it go!" Thol yelled back.

"Fine! If you're such a coward that you won't risk opening up to someone for help, then you can suffer for the rest of your life for all I care!" she yelled, turning away from him.

Thol stopped. "Coward?" he yelled incredulously. "How dare you!"

"_Enough!_" Tor yelled sternly, causing them all to look at him. "We have a job to do right now and we can't have you two screaming at each other all the way to the temple. Settle this after we've taken care of Garland."

Thol narrowed his eyes at him momentary and snorted irritably, tuning his horse back around and continuing on. The other's followed him, riding in silence, none of them really knowing what to say after that.

It was late in the afternoon, in the forest near the temple, when they came to a clearing with a small pond and a rundown cottage. Goro rode forward at this point and dismounted, walking up to the little stone wall that provided a barrier around the house. He sighed as he ran his fingers along the wall.

"What is it?" Tor asked.

"This was my master's cottage. I grew up here and trained with him for many years, having never known my parents. He died a few years back shortly after I'd finished my training. I haven't had the time to come back here," he said. He went through the gate and stopped in front of a crude grave, the others followed him. "I found him in his bed one day after returning from the temple where I'd taken to training as the monsters in the forest no longer provided a challenge for me. He passed on peacefully in his sleep. I buried him right here. Soon after I made my way to the city and I've been there ever since."

"You master must have been a wise man. I'm sorry to hear of his passing," Tor said solemnly.

Goro shook his head, kneeling to touch the tombstone. "No. Master knew his time was coming. He told me when it did come not to mourn. He'd lived a long and full life and wasn't afraid of death."

They were silent for a moment, each paying their respects to Goro's master. After a while, Thol began to get restless.

"I think we've wasted enough time here, let's get moving. As Tor said, we have a job to do," he said, his tone clearly showing he was still angry.

"You don't have to be rude to everyone just because you're throwing a fit," Melira said to him, also still angry.

Thol gritted his teeth in an attempt to keep back any number of blistering retaliations that threatened to spill out of him from that comment.

"No, Thol's right. Master wouldn't have wanted us to remain here when we have a job to do," Goro said, remounting his horse.

"Goro, you said you used to train at the temple, so you know the way from here, correct?" Thol said, redirecting his anger to something constructive.

"That's correct. I used to go there everyday."

"Good. You'll take point for now. You'll be able to lead us there I the shortest time," Thol said, flicking the reigns to pull in beside him. Melira threw him a dirty look as he passed and he did his best to just ignore her.

It was less then an hour later when the forest suddenly thinned out to reveal a large crumbling ruin that was their destination.

"Welcome to the Temple of Fiends," Goro said in a subdued tone.

"We'd better hang back and camp here," Tor said. "We don't want to be too close to that thing when night falls."

They set up camp at the edge of the forest and Tor took the opportunity to use the rest of the day to continue training Vala with her sword. Thol spent the rest of the day on the edge of camp, moodily reading a book and snapping at anyone who tried to come near him. It was just after dark when Vala came to him.

"You don't have to hide it, Thollatos. Everyone here will accept you for who you are, especially Melira," she said as she walked up to him.

"What the Hell are you talking about?" he asked.

She sat down across from him. "You know. You shouldn't be ashamed of it. It's an honor, not a curse," she said. She raised her hand up to touch his face. For once he didn't pull away or yell at her not to. There was no point because she knew. Her fingers fell on his face and traced its outline perfectly, even though she couldn't see it.

"It is a curse. You didn't have to grow up with it and be ridiculed every day. I was almost killed because of it more then once."

"I know, Thollatos. I know. You've also had a hard life. All of us have in one way or another, but that's why we're all together." She let her hand drop from his face, the rest of it dropping below his neckline.

Thol shook his head and sighed wearily. "You should go practice your magic with Melira," he said after awhile.

"You're not coming?" she asked.

He looked at her. "You know full well that she and I aren't on speaking terms anymore."

"I can assure you that it won't last very long, but it's up to the two of you to solve it. It won't go away by itself," she told him. She stood back up then. "Sleep well, Thollatos."

Thol watched her go and wondered absently why she insisted on calling everyone by their full name. He sighed again and decided to go to sleep early, still tired from the night before. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought about what had happened that day. _Maybe she was right_, he thought with another sigh. _Maybe I am a coward_. . . .

X X X X


	4. Chapter Three: The Fall of Garland

**Chapter Three: The Fall of Garland**

Morning arrived and Thol grumpily rolled over and got out of his sleeping bag, his back stiff from sleeping on the uncomfortable ground. Alone in his tent, he had shed his robe and the spell that kept his face cloaked in shadow. Clad only in a simple white sleeveless shirt and a pair of tan trousers, he pulled a small mirror from his pack and turned his face toward it.

His first thought as he gazed at his reflection was that he'd have to shave soon. His eyes had remained their stunning silver color, though they looked a little sad and pensive as he looked into them. Most people who knew him assumed that the silvery glow of his eyes was part of the same spell that hid the rest of his face, but it wasn't. For some unfathomable reason, he'd been born with his eyes as they were.

His gaze then moved to the… Thing that covered the majority of the right side of his face. His eyes suddenly went hard and he threw the mirror away from himself, disgusted at the sight of it. He sat glaring at the mirror for a few moments before standing and clothing himself, finishing by pulling his hood up over his head, the spell that hid his face activating once again, hiding his shame. He packed his things, including the offensive mirror he'd thrown across his tent, and went out into the open.

It was still early, the sun having just begun to peak over the horizon. Thol shuddered at the sight of the temple being backlit by the rising star. He walked over to where Tor was checking over his armor, making sure everything was properly secured and in good condition. He was the only other one up at the moment.

Tor spared his friend a glance. "Morning, Thol."

Thol nodded in response. "You're up early."

"You know me. Can never sleep in right before a major battle."

Another nod from Thol. After watching Tor's ministrations for a little while, he posed a question.

"How's Vala coming with her sword fighting?"

"She learns quick. I can only teach her so much though as her sword is quite different then mine. I think she should stay back when we battle Garland. She can probably handle the local monsters, but if Garland is as good as they say he is, she'll just get hurt if she gets involved."

"Hmm," Thol said, nodding again. "She and Melira can hang back and be ready with their magic if… When, rather, one of us is hurt."

"Hopefully they'll be okay," Tor said, concerned either of them might be hurt.

"Goro will be watching them, as will the rest of us no doubt."

As if on cue, Goro emerged from his own tent, nodding at both of them before beginning his morning exercises, loosening up for the battle ahead. The others had soon woken as well, each doing their own thing to get ready for the upcoming battle. Tor had joined Goro in running through a few practice exercises and Vala was chatting quietly with Keza, watching him as he checked to make sure he had everything he'd need. Just as Thol had predicted, after Keza's little talk with her she'd been staying closer to him and Keza had taken it upon himself to look after her. Thol nodded his approval and let his gaze wander else where.

His eyes rested on the form of Melira, kneeling somewhat outside of camp with her back to the temple, obviously in some sort of prayer. Thol was curious to which god she prayed too, but knew that even if he were to ask, she likely wouldn't tell him in light of their current standing with each other. Thol sighed and closed his eyes to concentrate, doing his own thing to ready himself for the battle. Soon, his thoughts were clear and he gazed at the world through the eye in his mind.

Thol was wrong though. If he'd have asked her, she would have told him, for as angry as she was at him, she only wished to help him, so when she prayed, she not only prayed that they all remain safe through the up coming battle, but also for Thol to somehow get over whatever demons plagued him.

Within the hour, they had all gathered around the weak fire they had going, each of them ready for the task ahead as best they could be.

"Alright, this is it. Within the next hour, we'll be facing Garland, supposedly the best knight in the kingdom. As we all know, not only is he a skilled knight, but he is also proficient in magic, making him a doubly dangerous adversary," Thol said, looking around the circle of friends. He was pleased to note that when his gaze fell upon Melira, she returned one that was merely interested in what he was saying as opposed to the angry glances she'd given him the day before. He continued on. "The basic plan is, Tor and I will hit him with alternative sword and magic, hoping to keep him off balance enough that he can't cast a spell of his own. Goro, you're to keep to Garland's flank and basically keep him distracted enough so Tor can score decent strikes. Keza, I want you to use that agility of yours and harass him from every possible angle, but try not to miss aim and hit one of us with those throwing daggers of yours."

"Hey, don't worry about it, boss. I never miss," he said confidently.

Thol nodded, knowing that he likely didn't miss often. "Melira, you and Vala try and keep back out of his sight and be ready should one of us go down. Try not to stay in the same place either, that'll just make him notice the two of you easier. In the event that he does notice you and tries to attack, we'll be there to stop him. Everyone okay with all that?"

The others nodded.

"Good. We might as well get this over with then," Thol said, moving toward the seemingly deserted structure.

As they passed the threshold, Thol stepped in beside Goro and whispered to him.

"I'm assuming you know the layout of this place fairly well?"

"Indeed. While I trained here I took it upon myself to become familiar with this structure as more of an amusement then anything."

Thol nodded. "What can you tell me about this place then? Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?"

"Well, the stairways to the upper levels have long since either collapsed or have been buried under centuries of rubble, so there's only the ground floor here to worry about." He thought for a moment. "The only place I can think he would have taken her is to the old altar room at the center of the building. The rest of this floor is nothing but hallways and old statues."

"Alright, we'll stop there first and see what happens from there. Lead on."

As they entered the main antechamber, they were attacked by a group of undead which included a trio of skeletons and a collection of various zombies. Tor immediately lunged forward to confront the rushing horde and Thol began a medium level fire spell to burn the offensive and foul smelling group to ashes. Before he had the chance to finish the spell, however, a nearly blinding ray of light suddenly streaked forth and eradicated the entire undead mob within seconds.

All eyes turned toward Melira, who still stood with her hands extended. She blushed shyly as she realized everyone was looking at her.

"Well done," Tor complimented her.

She smiled slightly and looked down at the ground and muttered an embarrassed, "Thank you."

Thol let his gaze linger on her for a few more seconds, thinking again what an incredible mage she'll make one day. He then turned back to Goro and motioned for him to continue.

They were unchallenged further upon arriving at the large double doors of the altar room, Melira's spell sending the other creatures of the temple into hiding. There was a light shining from underneath the doors and they could clearly hear someone chanting within.

Goro looked to Thol as he put his hands on the doors, ready to open then. The mage looked back at the other to see if they were ready. They nodded and Thol gave Goro the signal to open them.

Tor rushed in first, being the only one with any sort of decent armor, Thol and Goro rushing in to flank him with the others right behind. They all paused a moment to take in the scene before them.

Standing with his back to them all was Garland himself. He stood at an impossible seven and a half feet tall, clad entirely in black armor that even Tor wouldn't be able to move in. His arms were currently outstretched toward the ceiling, as if he had been praying to some unimaginable deity. His long crimson cape flowed almost as if it had a life of its own. The man's deadly sword was standing upright, thrust into the stone floor by a powerful force making them all shudder at the thought of it.

The room itself was illuminated by two large braziers that flanked the altar in the center of the room. They're golden light was drowned out by a large floating black orb which cast the room in an ominous blue hue. It stood, seemingly supported by its own power, at the head of the altar, upon which the barely conscious princess Sara lay, chained to the stone object. The large statues surrounding the room seemed to glare down at them evilly, a small group of bats cowering in the corner or the room.

Upon hearing them enter, Garland slowly turned around, his arms falling back to his sides. Through the slits in his large horned helmet, an eerie red glow could be seen where his eyes should be. At first he said nothing, just staring at the intruders with a murderous glance. He was only a step away from where his sword was thrust into the ground, but he made no move for it.

Tor boldly took another step forward and shouted, "Fiend! Release Princess Sara at once!"

Garland tilted his head at the warrior as he had done to the guard he had killed the night of the kidnapping. Still he said nothing.

A look of concern crossed Tor's features. "I said-," he began to repeat himself.

"Silence!" The large knight said suddenly. "Who dare to come forth and interrupt this sacred ceremony?" His voice was dark and evil and seemed almost as if it were two voices combined, the tone promising death and suffering with each word.

"We are the Light Warriors! We're here to see justice served!" Tor shouted back defiantly. "Stand aside or we'll be forced to take you down!"

The large warrior threw his head back and laughed at the smaller warrior's proclamation. The laugh seemed to echo amongst itself, unnerving all of them.

"Light Warriors? Ha, ha, ha… You have no idea what you're dealing with. I, Garland, own this princess now. I will not stand aside and let my destiny slip passed me. It is I who will see you fall before my might!"

With that, he strode forward and ripped the sword from the ground, charging directly at Tor, who had dared speak to him so.

"Spread out!" Thol yelled, dashing to his left and readying a spell for when Tor was clear.

Tor met Garland's vicious downward swing with his own, upward one. The resulting crash of steel nearly deafened everyone, the shower of sparks temporarily lighting up the man's face within his helmet. Though it was only a single handed blow, it nearly knocked Tor to his feet and he struggled to push the man's weapon from his own. It was only through Goro's intervention via a flying kick that he was able to get away. From between the two of them, a carefully thrown dagger found a mark on Garland's armor, merely ricocheting off to the side.

Goro was forced to back off as the full might of Garland's sword was directed at him. Tor stepped in with a strike of his own and the knight was forced to once again concentrate on him. Tor's timely attack was halted when Garland took his sword in both hands and made a sweeping strike which Tor just barely managed to get his sword in front of, even then, the force of the attack sent him sailing into one of the braziers, knocking it over and showering him with burning ash. Melira rushed over with Vala to see if he was alright.

Another dagger from Keza, this time from behind, caught Garland's attention, this one digging into the shoulder joint of his armor. The knight turned, intending to crush the knife wielding flea with his sword, but Thol took this opportunity to unleash a fairly powerful lightning spell that traveled up the knight's sword, causing him to drop to one knee. Goro attacked the knight with a devastating roundhouse kick that, helmet or no, would have seriously harmed any normal man. Garland, being as abnormally strong as he was, was merely knocked over and stunned. Goro attempted to follow up his attack with a leaping knee aimed at his chest, but Garland had recovered and swatted him from mid air with his free arm.

He had only enough time to stand again when a recovered and healed Tor came at him from the flank, scoring a blow to his armor that left a sizeable dent. The knight quickly regained his footing and was able to match Tor's attacks blow-for-blow. Thol snuck around to his flank and tossed a fire spell his way, thinking to catch him off guard. To his amazement, Garland swatted the spell aside without losing a step and continued to press Tor back.

Without warning, Garland unleashed a spell similar to the one he used on the castle guards, throwing Tor clear across the room and knocking Thol from his feet where he slid on his back a few meters. Tor had collided into one of the statues and was out cold. With half the team down for the moment, Keza had no choice but to confront him head on.

"Hey, ugly! Over hear!" he shouted, waving his arms as well.

Garland turned toward the thief and was rewarded for his efforts by a pair of flying daggers burying themselves in his armor, one managing to penetrate through the relatively thin protection around his neck. The knight grunted and ripped the offensive object free with his left hand, tossing it away. He then stormed after the little thief, who nimbly leapt about the room dodging every attempt the knight made to hit him with his giant sword. His luck ran out as he was forced to dive under an on coming attack and ended up crashing directly into the other brazier, nearly knocking it over. Garland used this distraction to reverse his swing and smashed it into the thief as he struggled to regain his footing, sending him and the brazier crashing into the wall, the room now lit exclusively by the floating black orb. Lucky for him, he had been struck by the flat edge of the sword, but even still, he lay there struggling to breathe and surrounded by burning ash.

Melira, still tending to Tor, trying to get him to wake, didn't see him go down. Vala, who had been watching the whole thing so far, unable to do anything, rushed over to the fallen thief with a cry before Melira could stop her.

"Vala! No!" she said, momentarily rising from her work on Tor.

Garland quickly turned around and saw Vala rushing to move passed him. He swung at her with his mighty blade, intending to kill her with one stroke. Vala, thanks to her training with Tor, managed to get her weapon up in time to block the attack, but since she was just a small girl, the attack lifted her off her feet and pushed her back. Melira managed to catch her before she could fall and hurt herself, but unfortunately, Garland's attention was now focused solely on them.

Garland strode forward, each step sounding like a clap of doom. Vala clung to Melira in fear. For her part, Melira could only stare into the knights unholy red eyes and watch as he moved forward, his sword rising up, ready to crush them both. The sudden surge of magic was her only warning as to what happened next.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Thol dived in front of them both with inhuman speed, his staff held up to block the on coming attack. Even braced for the blow and with his weapon magically strengthened, the crushing force of Garland's attack bent the staff and shattered the spell on it. Thol wasted no time and lashed out at the stunned knight with a second lightning spell, this time blowing him back due to the proximity.

"Help Tor!" he shouted, discarding his own, now useless staff and snatching up Melira's, which she had dropped to catch Vala.

He quickly cast a second tempering spell, this time on Melira's staff, and rushed to face off with the recovering Garland. Garland, now furious, attacked Thol with reckless speed, the mage only able to keep up due to the haste spell he cast on himself earlier, but he knew that the magic would be wearing off soon, so he had to do something. A downward slash which he caught with his staff gave him the opportunity he needed. Gathering both his final third level spell and all his first level magic, he sent an incredible current of electricity through the staff that in turn traveled up the knight's sword and in turn to the knight himself. The sudden shock blew them both apart.

Thol was coughing and trying to calm his own shaken nerves enough to stand when Melira rushed over to him, having done all she could for Tor for the moment. She quickly cured him enough to stop his shaking so he could stand and she helped him up. His hood had fallen off and though his face was still completely cloaked in black, Melira could clearly see that he was bleeding from his temple.

She gasped and touched his face lightly near the wound, but he removed her hand.

"No, it's nothing. Don't worry," he said.

Melira looked as though she was going to protest, but Thol's eyes suddenly widened and he shoved her aside only to be leveled by a blast of pure magic that sent him skidding across the floor once again. He had foolishly assumed that Garland would be down longer then that and he'd paid for it. Though Garland had been unarmed by the massive lightning spell, he'd recovered in short order and had retaliated with a spell of his own. He had been lucky enough to have seen it in time to clear Melira from its path.

He'd have probably been killed had Goro not just now returned to the battle. He managed to hold his own against the knight despite not being able to move very well due to his leg being injured from his landing. Not being a novice himself, Garland took advantage of that and managed to strike his wounded leg, causing it to buckle and he unceremoniously fell to the ground, unable to stand for the moment.

Garland gazed down at him for a moment, seemingly calm as if he wasn't in the middle of a life and death battle, before sweeping the room with his eyes. Spotting his weapon, he marched over to it and picked it up, returning to where Goro was now attempting to regain his footing. Before he could reach him, Tor, finally awake, flew at him and knocked him back several steps with a series of blows that further dented the larger man's armor. With a final upward swing, he removed the knight's helmet from his head, knocking him over with the force of the blow.

Able to see his opponent's face for the first time, Tor took in the man's features. His face was harsh and angular, the lines on his face showing that he was more used to frowning then smiling. His hair was black as his armor and fell to about his shoulders. Though now disheveled from battle, it looked well taken care of. It was his eyes that disturbed him and caused him to falter though. Gazing into his glowing red eyes, he could find no trace of a soul, only malice and hate.

It only took Tor a moment to take that all in, but it was a moment too long as Garland wasted no time in lashing out with his sword, the blow rending Tor's armor in half and making him crash to the ground. Turning back toward where Goro had last been, the knight was assaulted once again by the man. This time he had been ready for him and he caught Goro by the throat and held him aloft, meaning to run him through with his sword.

A knife suddenly struck his wrist at the joint, piercing the armored gauntlet. The nerves in his hand severed and useless, he dropped Goro, who landed on his injured leg and collapsed. Garland, seemingly unaffected by the crippling attack, simply looked over the where a burnt and battered Keza stood, poised with both his daggers, ready to face the man if he had too. Vala, who had used what little magic she was capable of to get Keza back on his feet, dragged Goro away from Garland as he was distracted by the thief.

Just as Garland started to stomp toward the blue haired man, an angry voice stopped him.

"Garland!"

The knight turned to face the voice where he saw Thol being supported by Melira.

"Burn!" he yelled, using the last of his strength to unleash his most powerful spell at the man. As it had done out in the open, the fire spell's concussive blast knocked everyone off their feet, Garland disappearing in a veritable inferno. Thol all but passed out after the spell. Having spent the majority of his own energy, it was all he could do but lay there being supported by Melira. The sudden scrape of metal on stone caught their attention however.

To their horror, Garland had survived the spell, though he was hideously burned and probably in more pain then most would be able to stand. He dragged himself onto his knees, his armor no doubt burning his flesh as he did so, only to look up and see Tor standing over him, holding one hand to his bleeding chest. Tor stared down at him for a moment then, as Garland's hand twitched toward him for who knows what sort of attack, he thrust forward with both hands, the sword easily piecing the heat-weakened metal of his armor and not stopping until it hit the stone of the floor.

The hand Garland had extended convulsed into a claw and began to lower as the strength was lost. Tor removed his sword from the knight's chest and he slumped back to the stone floor, dead. Exhausted, Tor also fell backward to the stone floor, breathing heavy and relieved it was over. After a few moments, he stood and walked over to the altar where princess Sara was now wide awake, her eyes wide with fear.

He kneeled as he got to the altar and addressed her. "Your highness, we are the Light Warriors and we've come to rescue you. You needn't be afraid, you're safe now," he said. He then stood and used his still bloody sword to shatter the chains holding her to the stone altar. He'd have Keza remove the cuffs later, but for now, he just wanted to get out of there, as he was sure everyone else did as well. The princess, immediately upon having been freed, pounced on Tor and kissed him passionately.

"Oh, thank you so much!" she said upon finally breaking the kiss. "You have no idea how horrible it was!"

A red-faced Tor picked her up off the altar and carried her over to where the others had gathered, Keza helping Vala with Goro as he was unable to walk after landing on his already injured leg. Thol, standing mostly with Melira's help, looked at the others, most of them battered, bruised, and bleeding from several abrasions.

"Let's get the Hell out of here," he said finally, gaining unanimous approval from the entire group. . . .

X X X X

They made camp a fair ways away from the horrid temple and Melira and Vala fixed everyone up as best they could with their remaining magic and a healthy number of potions, even still, they would need a few days rest to get back to full health and they would need to purchase some new equipment when they returned to the city.

Later, as Thol sat leaning against a nearby tree simply relaxing from his spell casting ordeal earlier, he watched as Tor sat chatting with the princess, neither of them being able to take their eyes off each other. If he remembered correctly, the princess had only once even let go of his friend since he'd rescued her and that was only so Melira could bandage up his chest. Tor suddenly caught his glance and blushed fiercely causing Thol to laugh in amusement even though it hurt like mad and he soon found himself coughing thanks to that energy spell of Garland's he took pretty much directly to the chest.

He was joined not long after by Melira, who sat beside him and also leaned against the tree.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

He coughed again and replied, "I've been better, but I'll live."

She smiled lightly and her gaze also fell on the Tor and the princess. "I see Tor and Sara are getting along well. She seems quite taken with him."

"It'll do Tor good to have something to worry about other then what happened with his brother," Thol commented.

"He mentioned something about his brother before. What exactly happened?" she asked.

"Well, from what I heard, sometime after he and I partnered up and began roaming around the continent, a pirate vessel captained by a man named Bikke attacked his hometown. I'd never heard of him before that, but apparently, he was the most ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate to have ever sailed. Anyway, they attacked at night, first storming the port and destroying most of the vessels that were docked. Tor's brother, Madon, was a guard at the docks. He tried his best to stop the pirates, but they someone managed to take him down and imprisoned him." Thol paused for a second before the next part. His voice got quieter all of a sudden. "They said that the pirates tortured him for hours before blinding him and throwing him into the sea strapped to a cannon ball to drown. A warrior is supposed to die a clean death, one with honor. There was no honor in what they did to him, only cowardice."

"That's so sad," Melira said, tears in her eyes as she tried to imagine how Tor must have felt after hearing the news.

Thol nodded. "We were just leaving Elfland when the news caught up with us. Tor broke down and wept upon hearing what they did to him. It's disheartening to see a man usually so strong and proud on his knees like that. His sorrow quickly turned to anger though and he swore that if it was the last thing he did, he would bring Bikke to justice. After he'd calmed down a bit, we parted ways. That was about a year ago. I ran into him again in Coneria the same day all this started. He'd run out of leads in that pub, the bartender saying last he heard, Bikke's ship having gone down in a violent storm. Having nothing to do now that he'd run out of leads, we decided to renew our partnership. We met Keza shortly afterward and you know the rest from there."

Melira was smiling at him when he looked at her, having finished his story.

"What?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"You know what I think, Thol? All your abrasive behavior toward most people is just a sham."

"What makes you say that?" he asked, a little confused.

"You often act like you don't care about anyone, but I can tell by the way you told that story that you really do care, so obviously you don't mean all the nasty things you say about people."

Thol just sat there staring at her for a moment. "Well congratulations, but what's the point?" he asked finally.

"It's just that I think I'm finally starting to understand you," she said, and paused for a moment before reaching up with her hand to touch his face. For once, he didn't flinch back or yell, but simply let her touch him. "And why you feel the need to hide yourself."

Thol sighed. "You're so gods damned persistent," he said in quiet and almost sad voice, not being able to look at her in his moment of weakness, staring at the ground in front of him instead. Slowly, he reached up with his own hand and also touched his face, his fingers brushing hers momentarily before he moved them away quickly, as if afraid the curse he had would infect her as well. "This… Thing I hide… It's done nothing but cause me scorn and ridicule my entire life. I'm deformed, ugly, a freak. How else could I have broken the magic thread so easily? I'm not even human," he said in a broken voice, not really knowing why he was telling her all this, but unable to stop himself.

"Thol, I'm here for you," she said to him, moving to embrace him.

Thol said nothing but merely embraced her in return, grateful for her presence right now. He held her tightly for a few moments until he was able to calm himself again, and happened to glance down at the sleeve of his robe. Pulling away from her, he frowned as he looked down at the shredded, singed, and bloodstained remains of his robe.

"… Guess I'll be needing a new robe then," he remarked offhandedly.

Melira laughed at his comment, glad he was feeling better, but worried deep down inside that he was just putting on a front to hide from her how he was really feeling. "Thol, you can come talk to me anytime you need to. I'll always be here to listen."

"Thanks… And sorry I yelled at you again. I know I was just being foolish. I just…" he said, unable to continue.

"I know. I'm sorry too. You just frustrate me sometimes," she paused for a moment, "And thank you for protecting me back there, Thol, Vala too."

Thol shook his head. "It was nothing. Any of the others would have done the same had they been able to."

Melira simply smiled, knowing that arguing would be pointless and that it was just his way of dealing with a compliment. They were both silent for a while, each thinking different thoughts.

"I should go check on Goro's leg. You stay here and rest. That much spell casting so close together has exhausted you," she said, standing.

"Of course, but don't over do it yourself. I'm certain you're almost drained too."

"Right as always," she said. "See you later, Thol."

Thol grunted and watched her walk over to Goro before closing his eyes to rest. He had no idea how long he sat there, just enjoying this time relaxing and listening to the wildlife in the forest which was just a stones throw away. The sound of soft footsteps tore him from his peaceful half slumber and he figured it was either Keza come to lift his gil as he rest or Vala. He opened his eyes to see that it was the former that made her way to sit next to him, exactly where Melira had sat only a little while ago.

"I see you've fixed things with Melira," she said with a knowing smile on her face.

"I was being a little silly about the whole thing," he admitted.

"And yet still you hide your face," she commented.

"You know why. It's not that simple," he said, looking away from her.

"I know, and I haven't come here to remind you about it."

He turned to look back at her again. "Oh?"

"I… Wanted to ask you… How did you combine all those spells like that?" she asked, almost as if she was afraid to.

"Mainly, practice, but it's got to do with how you weave your spell. You see, normally when you weave mana threads, you're concentrating on just a single spell. Over the years I've developed the control to chain these threads together into combinations and sequences. It's a little bit more taxing, but it's worth it in the end. Lukahn told me long ago that it was a special talent I had and that it's the reason I was able to learn so quickly."

"And why one day you'll be known as the greatest mage to have walked the planet," she commented.

Thol was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I don't want to be known as the greatest mage ever… I'll just be feared the world over then instead of wherever I go."

"Oh, Thollatos… One day I know you'll come to terms with your gift and you'll realize that your fears have been unfounded all these years, and it will be soon, I promise you."

"Well I'm glad you have faith in it, but I don't."

"Even after all the prophecy has shown you, you still don't believe me," she said, making it a statement as opposed to a question.

"Twenty years cannot be undone in a week," he said simply.

She gave up trying to convince him that everything would turn out alright and instead took to watching the others as they moved about the small fire they had going.

"You and Keza seem to be getting along well," Thol commented after a while. Her face visibly lit up at the mention of his name.

"Keza has been so helpful to me. The vision makes it hard to remember things and stay focused, but he's been there the whole time keeping me anchored to the present. He has so many interesting stories to tell."

Thol nodded. _Yes, I bet he does_, he thought to himself. "Keza is very talented," he openly admitted. "He's also had less time to pester me since you've come along."

She laughed mildly. "Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if in the end, you and Keza end up being quite good friends," she remarked, again with that knowing smile of hers.

"I highly doubt that," he said. "Speaking of which, I think you should get back over there and rein him in before he tries to steal something. Looks like he's setting Tor up for the kill."

Vala glanced up to see Keza covertly reaching for the larger man's gil pouch and smiled despite the thief's unsavory habits. "Perhaps I should. Sleep well tonight, Thollatos."

"You get some rest as well. You did a lot of spell casting, not to mention getting smacked around by a rather large sword."

Vala gave him a conceding bow and left him alone to rest.

Thol watched as Vala exposed Keza's little game to Tor and Tor's face taking on first an incredulous look, then one of mild irritation as he snatched his gil pouch back from a shame faced Keza, who was explaining to both him and Vala that he was only trying to keep in practice. Thol shook his head and closed his eyes, wondering how he ever got himself mixed up with such a group of people to begin with. . . .

X X X X

The journey back to Coneria was surprisingly uneventful and it only took then 2 days to reach the city gates. By then, the majority of their wounds had healed, only Goro showing any external signs of the battle as he still sported a limp. Thol still had a nagging cough that Melira assured him would be gone before long and he'd only managed a few minor repairs to his trusty robes.

There was a grateful crowd awaiting them as they returned, rumors of the Light Warriors spreading since they had left, thus when the guard at the top of the wall yelled down that the Light Warriors had returned and that they had successfully rescued the princess, it didn't take long for both a crowd of cheering civilians and a regiment of the Royal Guard, led by General Cid himself, to gather.

"Light Warriors!" General Cid called to them as they entered the gate, "Thank the gods you have returned with the princess! Come! His majesty no doubt wants to thank you personally!"

A great cheer sounded out as they rode down the main street toward the castle. The six of them all had different reactions to the crowd. Tor rode proudly with the princess smiling widely in front of him, they having decided back at the temple to share a horse. Keza grinned widely as well, basking in the glory he was reaping at the moment. Melira too smiled, but had a slight blush on her face, being more embarrassed then anything. Thol, riding beside her, was quite uncomfortable with the crowd and pulled his hood down further over his face, wishing that they'd all just go away, though deep down, he was rather proud to be a part of it all. Goro rode beside Tor and the princess his usual calm and peaceful self, only sporting a slight smile, glad to finally see the people happy again as they had been quite upset since the kidnapping. Only Vala seemed to be unhappy, riding beside Keza with her head bowed as if lost in her own world, and indeed she was as the vision had taken this opportunity to come down on her full force.

The king practically leapt from his throne at the sight of his daughter and nearly crushed her in his embrace, muttering her name over and over again. Her mother, Queen Jane, fainted with relief when she arrived in the throne room moments later to see that her daughter was safe, her other daughter, the younger Princess Tia, managed to catch her before she fell, and was so happy that she burst into tears.

So happy was the king that he declared that there would be a city wide celebration to honor the Light Warriors. They were then whisked away into another part of the castle so that they could get cleaned up and dressed for the ceremony later and also to give the reunited family some time alone.

Thol chased out the over zealous butler that insisted that as a royal guest he was to be bathed by the staff. A few low-level lightning spells quickly convinced him that he was perfectly capable of washing himself. Later, after he had finished bathing and had dressed himself in the robes he had been given to wear, he stood looking at himself in the full length mirror and debated on whether to wear the silly hat or not. Trying it on experimentally, he decided that unlike the ridiculous looking hats black mages typically wore when traveling which tended to flop over under its own weight, the ceremonial hat he had been given to wear made him look rather mystical.

A discreet knock at the door announced the butlers return, telling him that it was time to assemble for the ceremony. Quickly grabbing the staff that had been provided to him by the king from his own personal armory, he followed the butler to where they were to wait.

Keza was already there, fidgeting in the suit he was given to wear and looking completely out of place. Having spotted Thol, he walked up to him and looked him over.

"Well I'm glad one of us looks alright in these fancy clothes," he said, still fidgeting. "I for one can't wait to get out of this damned monkey suit."

"Oh? Afraid someone might mistake you for an honest citizen?" Thol teased.

"Ha, ha," Keza replied dryly.

Goro had entered next, clad in a very expensive looking master's gi. He'd placed aside the bandana he usually wore in favor of the mao-zi traditionally worn by a master as well. He looked rather nervous in the outfit as he approached the other two.

"Goro, your master would be proud of you right now," Thol commented.

"I hope so," he said, shifting his weight to his good leg.

"We know so," Keza added. "Not only are you a hero for helping rescue the princess, but you're also one of the famed Light Warriors. I'm sure there is no higher honor one can get."

Goro smiled. "I thank you both for your kind words. Yes, I'm sure master would be proud, and I won't let him down."

The three of them sat at a nearby table to await the others, Thol having some difficulty juggling both staff and hat, often forgetting he was wearing it and knocking it off his head with the staff.

They were forced to stand several minutes later as Vala entered the room almost shyly, clad in a long, flowing red dress that, while having sleeves, left her upper arms exposed. On her head she wore a ruby centered tiara as well as sporting a pair of teardrop shaped ruby earrings. Thol noticed that at the sight of her, Keza had first gone sheet white, then alternatively beat red, and finally settling on a nervous pale color. Thol might have laughed but before anyone could say a word, Melira also walked in and suddenly, he found himself unable to do anything but gape at her.

Melira's dress, unlike Vala's, was in fact sleeveless. She wore a pair of silver cuffs from which hung what looked to be silk, which ran all the way back to her dress, making it look as though the dress originally did have sleeves, but that someone had cut them down their length. The rest of it was also made of silk and the purest white he had ever seen, including the cape that hung from her shoulders. She too wore a tiara, but one of pure silver that almost looked like a crown. The stones she wore as earrings seemed to shine with a light of their own, but for the life of him, Thol couldn't figure out what they were. Like him, she also carried a staff, one that seemed to be made of a transparent crystal, topped with a sea blue orb that also seemed to glow.

As he gazed at her, his eyes wide and his heart racing, he couldn't help but think, _By the gods… She's beautiful… No, perfect_. He tightened his grip on his staff in fear that he would drop it and was again glad no one could see his face as he was sure it must have gone red similar to Keza's only moments before. There was a particular ache in his chest that he wasn't able to identify, but at the moment, he really didn't care to find out.

Keza was the first to recover, donning his trademark grin and stepping forward with an extravagant bow that he'd never be able to pull off in a throne room. "Ladies, you look ravishing, I must say," he commented, standing once again to full height in front of Vala, who smiled slightly and blushed from his comment.

Goro nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I fear I may become blind by such beauty," he said, also bowing to the ladies.

Melira looked toward Thol, waiting to see if he would say anything, but he was still stunned speechless at the sight of her. She blushed noting that his eyes were wider then they were normally and smiled to herself. "Thank you," she said to both of them before walking up to Thol.

He continued to stare at her and began to notice that he was quite nervous as she walked up to him. She stopped in from of him and looked down shyly.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked in a quiet voice.

_You're a goddess_, he said internally. Still not trusting himself to speak, he merely took her free hand in his and brought it up to lay a gentle kiss on the back of it.

She blushed further and smiled fully. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" she admonished.

Finally able to find his voice, Thol offered his hand. "Come sit with me," he said, wondering if she had noted the slight tremor in his voice. She took his hand, ungloved she noted, and followed him over to sit and wait for Tor's entrance. Thol's eyes were glued on her the entire time, thus he missed the amused look on Goro and Keza's face as well as that all knowing smile on Vala's.

"You look wonderful, Thol. You even manage to make that silly looking hat good on you."

"Thank you. I'm afraid I don't have the words to tell you how you look," he said, wondering what had gotten into him all of a sudden.

Over on the other side of the room, Vala sat beside Keza who, unlike Thol, had yet to run out of things to say about Vala's appearance. Goro calmly sat between the two couples with a content smile on his face, glad his friends were happy, even Thol, who had a tendency to be gloomy all the time.

It was perhaps ten minutes later when Tor finally arrived, clad in a suit of armor loaned from the king himself. It was polished so it had an almost mirror shine to it and behind him flowed a red cape identical to the one Garland had sported, though on Tor it looked regal as opposed to ominous. A golden sword was strapped to his waist, probably more expensive then all of their clothes put together. In addition to the armor, he wore a yellow trimmed red cloth running down his front with the coat of arms of his teacher and master, Sir Zakon, the greatest knight to have ever lived some say. He stood proudly at the entrance awaiting his comrade's response.

Thol stood and could think of nothing more to do then bow to his friend, who at this moment, looked like he could be king himself. Melira stood as he did and curtsied along with him, prompting the others to do the same.

"Princess Sara has announced that I am to be knighted by her hand and become her knight protector," he announced after they had all straightened back up.

"That's wonderful news!" Melira exclaimed from beside Thol.

They all crowded around the soon-to-be knight and congratulated him and exchange compliments on their dress. Soon afterwards, they were told that the ceremony was to begin.

First, the king delivered a rather lengthy speech, mostly talking about the Light Warriors and personally thanking them and stating that if they ever needed the aid of the kingdom, they need but ask. They were then to be announced one at a time to be awarded medals of bravery, save Tor, who would be called last and knighted by Sara.

First to be announced was Keza, who was rather pleased with the whole situation, taking the medal offered to him by General Cid and flashing the gathered crowd his traditional grin and holding his reward aloft for all to see. He winked to the cheering crowd before stepping back in line with the others.

Vala was next, demurely taking the medal and bowing gracefully to the crowd. Most people in the crowd had either never seen an elf or had only on a small number of occasions, so the crowd reacted with awe at her celestial beauty. She quickly retreated back beside Keza, blushing slightly from the reaction.

Goro had the privilege of going next, accepting his medal with a bow to the general, then to the crowd, holding the medal before him to honor it. As Goro was well known and well liked in the city, the crowd cheered loudly for him, his fellow workers at the library cheering loudest and starting a "Goro" chant for him.

Then it was time for Thol to be announced. He hadn't expected much, but he was surprised to find that a few people even clapped for him, most of them only able to stare at him, whether it be out of fear or respect, he didn't know. He accepted his medal and was originally going to just make his way back to the line, but thought better of it and faced the crowd which had suddenly gone silent. He slowly raised his staff and at an appropriate height, slammed it back down on the stone, a carefully prepared lightning spell streaking from the end of his staff to collide with the atmosphere above, exploding into a colorful display not unlike a firework going off. Gawking up at the sky in an awed silence for a moment, the crowd suddenly exploded into cheers for him. Please he had satisfied them, he now returned to his place in line, Melira giving him an approving smile for his display.

She wasn't able to say anything to him at the moment, however, as it was her turn to be announced. She curtsied to Cid and then to the crowd, who showered her with cheers, applause and a healthy number of wolf whistles and cat calls as she too was well known and well liked in the city. She blushed, grinning embarrassedly and almost ran back to her place beside Thol.

Cid stepped down from where he had been delivered the medals and was replaced by Princess Sara who announced to all that she had chosen a knight protector and that he would be knighted during this very ceremony. Cid stepped forward again momentarily to announce Tor and the crowd cheered louder then they had all evening as he stepped forward and kneeled in front of the princess to be knighted. The princess did what was required of her and Tor stood, drawing his sword and saluting the crowd with it. Cheers broke out again as Sara pulled him toward her and kissed him for all to see.

After the knighting, there was a handful of boring speeches from other important people and then they moved onto the feast that had been prepared. The feast was followed by a grand ball with music and dancing.

Thol was relaxing in the chair he'd been provided with, content now that he had eaten and was enjoying a goblet of wine. He looked about the room for his friends, easiest of which to spot was Tor, who sat with his new found love, Princess Sara, chatting idly with the rest of the royal family. He had earlier taken a few spins on the dance floor with his beloved and they were rewarded with a round of applause from all the on lookers.

Thol's gaze then moved to Goro, who stood chatting with the mayor of the city, no doubt discussing issues the citizens of the city had. A few other visiting dignitaries also listened in, piping in with their own questions, which Goro would answer honestly and to the best of his ability, no doubt passing them some useful advice on dealing with the people.

He then caught sight of Keza and Vala dancing with each other and for all purposes looking like the rest of the world didn't exist to them. Thol wondered if they even realized how they really felt about each other. He was also glad to see Keza was interested in something other then stealing, as he had a hunch that if it wasn't for Vala, he'd be making his rounds of the people and relieving them of the burden of their valuables.

He smiled and looked around some more. Try as he might, however, he failed to spot Melira in the immediate vicinity. She had excused herself sometime ago saying that she'd like to go see her father, but she hadn't returned yet. He found that he was rather disappointed as he had grown accustom to her being at his side these past few hours. _She's probably off having fun somewhere. After all, why would she want to hang around a bore like you?_ he thought, frowning at his own internal monologue. He took another sip of wine and tried to dispel the thought form his head.

He continued to scan around the room for any sign of Melira, but again failed to see her. He remained sitting for another ten minutes or so, berating himself internally for being a foolish idiot, then, finishing off his drink, stood and decided he'd seen enough of the crowd. Finding an unoccupied balcony, we walked up to the edge and leaned against the railing with his free arm. He had no idea how long he stood there gazing up at the stars before a voice behind him brought him back down to the planet.

"So this is where you've been hiding," said a voice he instantly recognized to be Melira's.

He turned from the railing and was again taken by just how utterly beautiful she was, especially in the moonlight. Again he had to fight for his words as he gazed upon her. "I… Thought I'd like to look at the stars for awhile. It was getting a little too crowded in there for me," he said.

She walked up to him and stood beside him, looking up at the stars for a moment just as he had been doing only moments before. She smiled and said, "They are beautiful, aren't they?"

_Not when you're around_, he thought, unable to take his eyes off her again. _What in the world is wrong with me? You act like you've never seen a girl before_. He continued to watch her stare at the stars for a few moments, his mind constantly assaulting him with berating thoughts. Finally able to tear his eyes from her, he turned to look out across the city. "Shouldn't you be inside having fun with the others?" he asked quietly.

She looked down from the stars and then at him, still smiling. "It's not much fun in there. I have no one to dance with," she said, hoping he'd catch on to what she was saying.

"Oh, I'm sure you could find someone in there. With the reaction you got when they announced you, there's probably a whole mob of men who'd be willing to go a round with you on the dance floor," he commented almost bitterly.

"But I don't know any of them. What fun is it to dance with a total stranger?" she countered.

Thol merely shrugged. "Then what about Goro or Keza? I'm sure even Tor would dance with you if you asked him."

"They're all busy," she said. "Keza has Vala and Tor is with Sara. Goro, well I happen to know that he can't dance to save his life oddly enough and I doubt he'd want to anyway with his leg still causing him pain. So who does that leave?" she asked with an impish smile.

Thol looked at her suddenly. "You're not serious?" he asked, incredulously.

"Please dance with me, Thol," she pleaded, grabbing his free hand with hers.

"You want to dance with me?" he asked, still stunned at her request.

"Yes. Will you?" she asked, looking up at him.

She could have very well have asked him to murder the king at that moment and he wouldn't have been able to refuse. "Of course I will, I'd be honored," he said in a reverent tone. The look on her face alone was worth it, he decided.

"Yay! Come on, Thol! It'll be fun, I promise!" she said, practically dragging him back inside.

"Whoa! I can walk on my own, you know," he said, his words falling on deaf ears. They stopped just long enough at their table to drop off their staves before Melira dragged him, to his dismay, right to the center of the dance floor.

_I'm probably going to regret this_, he thought as he moved closer to her. "How well can you dance?" he asked as he neared her.

"Pretty good I guess. Why?"

"If I'm going to make a fool of myself, I might as well do it well," he replied. "Follow my lead."

"Okay," she said as the music started up again. At first, his movements were slow and uncomplicated, as if he were testing her, but gradually, he began to perform more complex steps which she matched perfectly.

After some time, Thol came to a decision. _Either she's the greatest dancer on the planet, or she's familiar with the dance I'm leading her into_, he thought. _I'm guessing it's the former_. Much to his delight, as he launched into the full dance, she did in fact know what she was doing as was evident from the smile on her face.

Something had caught Tor's eyes as he was chatting with the king and he was forced to halt his conversation to see what was going on.

"What's that over there?" the king asked.

Tor smiled as he realized what he was seeing. "It seems as though my friends are putting us all to shame with their dance," he commented, noting that most people had stopped dancing themselves and were watching the two mages whirl around in very intricate movements. Even Keza and Vala broke out of their shell to watch them, Keza with a not-so-mild look of surprise on his face and Vala with her usual smile she used when she was right.

_Oh my! Everyone is watching!_ Melira thought to herself as Thol continued to lead her through the dance that she was mildly surprised he knew. Thol on the other hand was thinking much the same thing but as the music wound down along with the dance, he suddenly became aware of just how close they were and that immediately blotted out any concerns he was having about the entire royal court watching them.

He was forced to make note of how dizzy he'd become and he wasn't entirely sure it was from the dance. Suddenly, the music stopped and the dance was over. They stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the entire room broke out in applause. Thol blinked and suddenly remembered where he was and to his surprise it was a blushingly embarrassed Melira who removed them from the dance floor.

She led them back to their seats, reclaiming their staves and sitting down. Some people were still looking at them, a mixed reaction, some smiling, some gazing in awe and, to Thol's amusement, there were some glares of jealousy. They spent the remainder of the evening at their table, completely oblivious to anything else.

"Where did you learn to dance like that, Thol? It's not something I would have thought you knew?" she asked.

"My mother taught me. She is the greatest Mysidian dancer there ever was," he said proudly.

"I bet she is if she managed to do that well with you," she commented, and then frowned. "But you mentioned the word 'Mysidian', what is that?"

"Little known fact outside of my hometown, the real name of the city is Mysidia. I have no idea when exactly people in the outside world started calling it just Crescent Lake, but we still refer to it by its ancestral name."

"Wow. They don't even mention that in school," she said, clearly amazed.

"And you? Where did you learn to dance?" he asked, as the dance they had performed was quite rare and notoriously difficult to master.

"I've always been interested in dancing. I learned it from a local woman named Arylon. She's the best in the city."

"I guess we were both taught by the best then," he commented.

She smiled and took a drink from her cup.

"Aren't you still a bit young to be drinking wine?" he asked, noting that the city's legal drinking age was higher then back home.

"Depends on where you ask," she replied.

"Okay, but if you get drunk and can't walk on your own, I'm not carrying you back to your room," he replied, knowing full well that he would if it came down to it.

"Don't worry. I'm not planning on drinking that much. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself or my father with public drunkenness."

"Wise decision," he said, taking a sip of his own drink.

It was quite late when they decided to turn in for the night, Melira practically falling asleep on him as they sat talking quietly. They walked together down the halls of the castle, where they were staying as guests for the time being. They stopped in front of her room, his being right next to hers, and she turned toward him smiling.

"Thank you, Thol. I had such a wonderful evening," she said. After a moment's hesitation, she moved to embrace him, hugging him tightly as if he would disappear if she let go.

Momentarily stunned, he returned her embrace and closed his eyes, savoring the moment. The smell of her hair began to make him dizzy and his thoughts started to get confused as he stood there. After what seemed like an eternity, but also far too soon, she broke away from him and looked up at him.

"Well, good night, Thol," she said.

Thol hesitated a moment, not sure what he was about to say. Eventually, he spoke. "Good night. Sleep well."

She smiled again and wearily turned toward her door, opening it. Thol nearly shouted for her to wait, but stopped himself at the last minute. She waved at him once more before closing the door and leaving him alone in the hallway with his confused thoughts.

_What more did you expect?_ he asked himself. _A kiss? You just met her a week ago, you fool, never mind that you're a hideous monster and that no one would want to go near you. That's why you hide your face, remember?_

He stood in the hallway, staring at her door, listening to his self-loathing thoughts go on-and-on for several minutes before he put his free hand up to his forehead and closed his eyes tightly.

"Just shut up…" he said quietly to the voice in his head. He opened his own door then and stepped inside. He propped his borrowed staff against the wall and shed his also borrowed clothing, placing them neatly on the dresser that was in the room. As he passed the mirror, he stopped and looked at himself, just as he did earlier in the day. Now stripped of all but his underwear, he dropped the spell hiding his face so he could see the entirety of his deformity. Slowly, he raised his hand to the right side of his face. He stood there for a long time, his fingers tracing the hideous thing. He sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor and his arm to his side.

Blowing out the candle that lit the room, he padded over to the bed and lay down. Because he was exhausted, both physically and mentally, sleep came immediately, and his dreams followed shortly after. . . .

X X X X

They gathered around his bloody, charred, broken body, countless undead which had come in from the open doors. They crowded around, entranced by the corpse lying in a congealed pool of its own blood. The once proud and mighty Garland lay dead in the Temple of Fiends, surrounded by the undead, the ominous black orb still floating silently by the altar.

Suddenly, the orb pulsed, the undead flinching in response. A hand, forever clenched in the shape of a claw, suddenly twitches. Again. Then, the claw digs into the stone of the floor, the hideous sound causing even the undead to back off. Again, there is stillness. Again, silence. The undead close back in on the corpse.

Without warning, the orb veritably explodes with sudden energy and the undead scatter, fleeing in terror. Again it becomes quite and all is still once more, but something is different. A hand, no longer frozen in the shape of a claw, reaches down and picks a sword from the floor. A pair of glowing red, soulless eyes open and regard the black orb with interest.

'_It is time,'_ says a disembodied voice, a voice which one would think would belong to an animal, a dragon perhaps.

'_Time to claim your destiny,'_ says another voice, this one clearly female but filled with such burning hate that it makes the ear bleed to hear it.

'_Time to start the cycle anew,'_ chimed a third voice, one of something so inhuman that it was never meant to have a voice.

'_Let the black orb take you to your destiny,'_ hissed a final voice, it was the voice of death itself, the pure embodiment of evil.

"It is time," Garland says in his double voice, blood from the fatal wound in his chest forcing its way out of his mouth. Stepping toward the black orb, he lays his free hand on the surface of the cursed thing and it reacts with a sudden, violent burst of what one could only call anti-light. When everything has settled, he is gone, only the black orb remaining to continue its silent vigil in the temple.

No, Garland had not fallen, for this was only the beginning. . . .

X X X X


End file.
